


Unwritten

by Berzul



Series: Unwritten - The MMO Experience [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Fiction, MMO, Shounen, vr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 20:25:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 71,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13015485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Berzul/pseuds/Berzul





	1. Chapter 1

=== Chapter 1 [Gust]

The land before me was an empty desert, stretching far without end in sight.  
I was running away, from something most frightening, not looking back for a single moment.  
Not knowing whenever it was still chasing me, I just had to run away.

Just a minute ago, I was fighting a boss monster with twenty other players. They were all from the same guild, I think.  
A pretty confident company with a plan to take it by numbers, and they did very well at the beginning.  
However, a monster this big can't be simply taken down by standard tactics.

By that I mean, I was simply asked by the company to tag along. The plan was, to save mana up till the boss would go into rage mode.  
That was a standard and simple tactic everyone could follow easily. But even with my help, just as soon they got it low,  
they all gathered too close to the boss, making it easy for the monster to swipe them all at once. That was their mistake.

With most of the companions down for the count, the Boss was free to jump on the supports, making the tanks chase it.  
Doing so, those on the ground were left unattended. Even if the party were to start the combo again, the damage was lacking now.  
Ignoring their comrades, tanks and those that were left alive did prolong the fight. Yet dying one by one, they couldn't finish the boss.

As for me, I noticed the boss changing phases; its movement gain speed, damage was slightly increased, and most of all it bursted almost instantly.  
Of course I had no time to save the rest, with my mind stuck in the fray; I could only see that the worst unfold before me.  
Even so, I believed that we can still kite the boss and finish it off.   
Unfortunately, the tanks were still focused on blocking instead of dealing damage.

But in any case, as the only Rogue surviving, I could have easily take the aggro and kite, at least for some time I think.  
I wasn't however the party leader, just a random mercenary that joined for a good measure. How strange that I was the only survivor.  
So I wonder really, how low is that big dinosaur really? It would be a waste really to throw myself alone at him again, that's why...

[Hey! Stop running for a second here.]

Suddenly someone beckoned me to stop; it was a simply dressed player, probably someone that just started playing.   
At that time I couldn't tell what archetype he was because he had no weapon equipped. Still was wondering what was his problem.

[I hear ya, what's up?]

[You look awfully in a hurry; maybe you could stop and explain something for me?  
Like have you seen any giant monsters around lately? Those are really a pain in the ass to deal with you know...]

He said purposely emphasising his dissatisfaction; giving a strange look as if I didn't understand a thing.  
It was true, I had no idea what this person wants from me, and he gave me bad vibes. I didn't want to answer him,  
his words didn't sound like something I was supposed to respond to, hence I just gave him a cold stare back and shrugged.

[I see how it is, stranger, you simply want to take it out the old way?   
I'm fine with that; I have nothing to do with this place anyway. You wouldn't say no for a little duel right now, right?]

So he’s looking for a reason to fight? No, he just had a bad day or something; a friendly duel is always nice at times like this.

[Draw your weapon, I rather not pk someone who didn't even fight back.]

As friendly as this chat was up until now, his expression changed. He brandished his twin blades, with his eyes focused at me.  
I still had the time to decide to leave the scene before anything would be happening, but I also knew that turning my back to him was not good.  
I knew this player was new, and a lot of things can happen in this game. It is not always smart to charge into a fight, so...

[Very well, but I rather advice you from fighting other players like that. A friendly duel is fine and all though...]

I said so, while taking my weapons out; reading for his imminent dash. PvP is not exactly something I enjoy but...

[Are you going to sit there? Fine, I will come at you!]

And with that, the time for kind words was over.

===

In a Rogue mirror the most important thing was position. If you were too close to the enemy, you wouldn't be able to dash.   
If you were too far from each other, your dash would be intercepted easily. Therefore, instead of a direct confrontation,   
his first skill to go on cooldown was a ranged poke skill, Dagger Throw. It seemed that we both knew the matchup well.

In this game you can equip up to 8 different skills, thus the builds can vary greatly between individual players.  
Even if we play the same archetype, the Rogue, who has mostly melee skills and a few ranged ones, my build didn't depend on using ranged skills.  
With that, I knew I would only get staggered if I would just stand still, but at the same time I couldn't really fight back at this range.

After throwing his first dagger, he was still able to throw 3 additional ones from a single cooldown. I knew it was too early to retaliate,  
he was basically waiting for me to blow my ranged skills and charge in, he could still throw 3 daggers while my gun could only shoot 2 times.  
I wasn’t naive, I knew if he didn't use his remaining daggers, the skill would go into cooldown and he would be on the one on the run.

But instead he took his chances with more ranged attacks to corner me, the boomerang and spike. Both of them are ground attacks,  
so the easy answer was to jump. However if I did that, I would risk myself becoming exposed to a dagger. At the same time,  
as much it is dangerous to try to dodge all those ranged attacks, there is one way to make it safe. I decided to take that gamble.

The Backstep skill allows you to armour though damage for a period of time. When you use it backwards,   
it actually allows you to cover some distance. This was my goal, but at the same time, there was a trick to it.  
The skill has long active frames which exposes the player. My plan was depended on the enemy also knowing that.

His choice of skill was right, after exiting the mini dash, I would be able to parry or grab,   
therefore his perfect answer would be Crescent Swing. Its second activation (S/A) gives armour, a counter to my Parry,  
It would also make the move a bit slower, though it would still be faster than grab. Of course that is what I wanted him to think.

Even without many ranged options I have something that players miss; my Shotgun blast has a small pushback.  
It is enough to move away from this S/A launcher, if it was a single activation I would still get hit.   
My plan was executed perfectly and he took the bait. Now, I am in position to counter attack.

With the shotgun hitting this armoured move, I Blade Thrust in, the fastest skill with stagger that Rogues can do.  
This closes the distance and allows me to initiate the combo. I chain the S/A with basic attacks, then I use a launcher.  
I dash into the air, using the Boomerang with basic attacks, then dunk. Returning the Boomerang, I finish the combo on the ground.

This is enough time so that the enemy player can't burst out. In this game, when you are staggered, you can hold your right click.  
Holding that button for some time makes the character burst out of stagger. However it cost mana to do so, as you are not regenerating any.  
Knowing so, the players that don't want to get hit by a burst should perform a safer and shorter combo, rather than a long time.

At the same time the players that get staggered can risk not holding the button, knowing that would happen.  
In Pvp you can't see each other's mana, therefore you can't really tell if someone is holding the button.  
I sure hope he did, but if he is a good player, he would have released after I used the launcher; after my combo route was obvious.

Now it was his chance, he rises up with his skills ready to use again presumably. If he goes for the zoning again, he would have an advantage.  
My Backstep is on cooldown, so I have no options to answer his attack in the same way. But I still have one option;   
to force him into a worse position by charging my dash. This way he needs to be wary not to give me frames that are open to attack.

He knows he can't do daggers again, he knows that I am lower on mana after the attack, and he knows that my build is close range.  
Therefore, he can do only one thing, bait my charge with his, and then cancel it to a backdash or something.  
This way he will be in range to dagger me but I wouldn't be in the range to attack. Even so, I still should have an answer for that.

I release my dash, in hope that he doesn't challenge it. He can still release it himself, using a skill or a grab.  
Even a clash would be more beneficial to him, returning to a neutral state. However, how that he got hit, now that I used my mana…  
He is certain that he needs to get even, that was my read on him at the moment. Of course, I might have been mistaken but...

When I released my button, he decided to use Backdash and instantly cancelled it when I hit him with my dash.  
Afterwards he wasn't quite in range for a Blade Thrust, but he was in a perfect range for a Boomerang Edge.  
Up close as I was, I wasn't able to dodge it; it was a guaranteed hit for him. But I wasn't done yet.

I quickly used Katana Draw, and even if I wasn't in range, I would still be able to move during the animation.  
Because I was able to move freely, I jumped over the boomerang and landed next to him. I wanted to challenge him,  
I knew he would not attack me back, because of the parry state, but he did something unexpected.

He moved back, just as I moved towards him, and activated his boomerang again, to hit my parry.  
His plan was to force me into the parry animation, but I still had a surprise he didn't knew about.  
The unique skill of my katana has allows me to do a micro dash, which extends the hitbox. 

What happened when he activated my parry with his boomerang was that I dashed to him and hit him without any obstacle in the way.  
Because I didn't have too much mana at that moment, and also because after this skill you have to pay even more to combo,  
I thought that we would resume in neutral after he would get up. But that wasn't the case, he instead told me...

[GG]

I stood surprised, it was just the beginning of our duel and he resigned. As a person that respects the rule of dueling,  
I had to stop when the other party threw the towel. It was honestly kinda disappointing too; he was a good player after all.

[You and your pay to win shit? Where did you get that? I hoped it gets nerfed.]

He was complaining about my weapon I was using, my Katana and Shotgun. It is a mirror redesign from the Rapier and Pistol weapon;  
stats are the same, but the skills are different. I didn't really do a lot of PvP but if they are really this powerful...

[Yea sure, but anyway, good match. Knowing this now would help you.]

I answered with a straight face. He was perplexed to hear that I was actually sincere about that. And why?

[So you come, you train a monster to my house, then you actually don't run and fight me,  
and now you say words that supposed to make me feel better? Oh come on man, who do you think you are?  
Having like this wolf-man like attire, long black hair and shades. You are nothing but a bandit, sir.]

Are those words that supposed to make me feel bad for something I haven't done? I don't remember passing a hut or anything.  
If what he says is true, then the monster was no longer chasing me. That is a relief, those boss monsters...  
They have a very long reach, you never know if they are still following you or not. In any case...

[If we meet again, call me Wolf.]

And then I left, waving with my hand with my back turned, knowing that nothing more could be done here.   
Not that I was satisfied knowing there is a boss monster that destroys people's homes but,  
also because this whole trip to the desert was a huge waste. That is what I thought at the time.

===

As always, I simply wanted some food from the convince store, but this time was simply most favourable for me.  
When the night lamps shined, it was the middle of the night; I walked towards the store without thinking much.  
Sometimes I am bothered with hunger, but I guess I can’t help it. I’m a human after all, and I require food to survive.

Saying so, if I wouldn’t find it necessary I would probably not waste time on trips like this. The sliding door opens.  
Inside there is a familiar face and the same products on the shelves. Even if this person is trained to say “Welcome”,  
I don’t answer. I simply grab my grub in hand and check out before any conversation would start. Simple as that,  
and with the transaction over I leave without saying a word back at “Thank you for your patronage!”. Jeez…

But in the end this seemingly empty and quiet space, the Moon today is in full bloom and the wind is gentle.  
The occasional car sound heard in the background, and the buzzing of electronics, that’s all the traffic I need.

…

But to my surprise it appeared that the desert had one more encounter for the day, and furthermore a very rare one.  
I happen to meet a party that attempted to finish off the problem I had trouble with before. Saying so, I'm sure they tried,  
just like the first party, but they also were down now. The second I had I a clearer view, I also noticed something else...

From beyond the sand dune there was one more person still struggling against the boss. As if not wanting to admit defeat,   
that player gave everything to keep damaging the boss. Even though it was just auto attacks, sooner or later the boss would catch up,  
and they finish the last challenger... it would if I was to allow it. By no means would I leave a person fighting a boss alone.

[Hey, wait up. I'm going to save you!]

I shouted as hard as I could to my microphone; at least enough loud for that person to hear. I still couldn't get a good view on that guy,  
the model was obscured by the gigantic dinosaur. If this was really the same boss I fought earlier, it should be very low,  
low enough for us two to finish it off. Without deep thought, I dashed from behind and started attacking it as fast as I could.

For monsters with this size, it is expected that whichever direction they are facing, there is always an angle they can hit players.  
This is why I anticipated that when I attack, the boss will instantly tail sweep back at me. Learning from before, it had two tail attacks,  
the one that swings horizontally, and the one that swings vertically. I was lucky enough to get the first one.

With an attack that only hits the ground; I was free to jump to evade it. I started the combo with Boomerang in the air.  
Jumping down to the ground, I was open to do all the damage that a Rogue can do naturally. And by that I mean,  
since I had to change my skills to pvp a little before, I unfortunately forgot to change them back. This is bad, I thought.

The combo didn't last long; I only did a couple of hits. But that was enough to get the attention of the boss.  
I had to Backstep, fearing that a parry would not be enough. That was a good choice, in the instant, as soon as it turned,  
it lashed its claws at me. Without taking any more chances I had to spend a Parry to not get staggered. It was painful though.

The searing pain of being clawed by such monstrosity, my hp must have lost a big chuck. But I could run away now;   
that was my reward for that gamble. I moved quickly, knowing it will swing again at me, knowing just how hard the boss hits.  
Fortunately, because the boss was recovering from the last attack, I had enough time to move away from its range.

It was me and boss, both engaged in an unfair combat; both extremely low at hp. The only difference was that,   
when I get hit, I get staggered and probably will die. What should I do in this situation, I wondered.  
I could surely try to run away again, but I felt that wouldn't work again. If only I had different skills...

But then in my awfully dumbfounded moment, I seemed to forgot about something important; I wasn't fighting alone.  
A giant meteor came down from the sky, hitting the boss for a pretty huge chuck of hp. What was that skill, I wondered.  
I couldn't tell exactly from where it came, but I also could not stop running. If I was to stop I would have surely died.

I tried to keep my vision on the boss, not to lose the sight of the angle it would attack me from. If anything,  
I could not see any opening for the attack. And then, it happened again, the meteor fallen on the same location.  
Is this how the skill works then, I wasn't sure, but the snippet of blazing aura told me, it sure does hits hard.

If I were to take advantage of this turn of events, I had to keep the boss in the range of that meteor.  
To do so however, I would not only need to stop running, I would actually have to turn around and face against the boss.  
Risking my own life for something like that was out of the question, but if that was the only thing I had to do...

In that moment I have decided, I would not leave someone who is trying the beat boss alone; this is for the best of all.  
Although it was not something I would normally do, I turned back to the boss, trying to get as close to it as possible.  
This way at least I had a chance to evade the moves by running around it, thought it would likely fail, I worried.

Then the third meteor landed, at the same time when the boss was making an attack against me. Before finishing it however,   
with a fearsome roar, it leaped away from me. I was no longer a target for it; I became just a meaningless distraction for the lizard.  
However, for my plan to succeed, I had to be the bait. I had to do something desperate and fast, and I had just the skill to do it.

I charged my dash and again stuck its tail. But now my intention was not to deal damage, my skills were on cooldown anyway.  
I used Vault to try to delay the attack against my ally, and this is something that Rogues aren't supposed to do.  
I got instantly countered, pushed back and knocked on the ground. This was the start of the countdown for me.

But the battle wasn't over yet.

===

My valiant effort allowed for another meteor to make it way to the boss, but it was still alive. I was sure that would be the last...  
yet it stood nevertheless. Maybe I was mistaken, maybe this wasn't the same monster; maybe it was all pointless in the end?  
Those dismaying thoughts troubled my head while I was downed in the sand, with strength escaping my body by the second.

Though that wasn't the case for everyone; there was still one person who was still fighting. I was rooting for them,   
and even if my face was on the ground, I saw their determination. Fighting against a boss like this, and without a proper party,  
I can respect that. I am mostly a solo player myself, I know how hard is to face against something seemingly impossible.

Though I did wonder, how would be possible for a Wizard to solo this boss till the end, I honestly don't know much about them.  
All the time I did spend on the internet I only read up on the Rogue, I only have a vague idea about other archetypes.   
From what I read, their tactics are to stay away from the monsters and cast AoE spells. They don't have a lot of hp after all.

But as the show unfolded before my eyes, I was pleasantly surprised that this Wizard was playing their archetype not conventionally.   
Before the monster could reach that player, there was a blast of energy from the ground, in a shape of a circle.  
It seemed to hold back the monster, as it couldn't advance pass it. The only choice it had was to claw its way through.

Yet, before that would happen, it was shot by a beam of negative energy. It shaken the monster a little,  
not enough to slay the beast, but enough to leave a gleaming mark above one of its knees. The boss enraged,  
broke out of the cage and charged forward towards its opponent. But that didn't hit the mark, his adversary was ready.

The Wizard teleported behind the lizard with something birth dancing around them. Those were lights,  
I assume they do something when you touch them. For that purpose you have to be close to the enemy, and so the Wizard was,  
right behind the boss. A blast from their staff brought the attention of the boss as it turned towards the foe to swipe at them.

However, the Wizard knowing very well of that one coming, evaporated into a cloudy matter of gas. On the other hand,  
as the boss’s claws reached the gas mass, became more sluggish, as if something was hindering its movement.  
As much as it tried to continue its onslaught, it couldn't connect hits against the cloud that continue to move spontaneously.

The magician spell ended however, and the Wizard's body was reformed back to flesh. At that time, in order to squish the little bug below,  
the dinosaur jumped up to the sky. This attack would surely hit, if not for another hidden card that was revealed.  
Due to my grab from before, the boss had now no counters to tech a grab with. The Wizard was also aware of this fact.

A shadowy hand rose above the ground, and reached for the lizard's tail. With a swift movement, it threw the foe away.  
Even if this was a minimal distance, the Wizard had time for just one more spell. An icy bolt formed above their head,  
cold enough to freeze the air around it. It was launched with great speed at the monster and exploded into countless shards.

But that too, was not enough to finish the boss. I bet it was down to very pixel of hp, even though I wasn’t allowed to see it physically.  
Both the Wizard and the lizard was looking beat, as if they wanted to call a truce and resume the fight another day.  
Thought we all knew this wasn't going to happen; only one of them would survive in the end, in this empty desert.

The dinosaur charged, thought slower than before, it still had the will to fight. The Wizard on the other hand wasn't,  
I assume they had very low mana or ran out of cooldowns. Instead of facing the foe head one, they kept distance,  
using their basic attacks at range. This wasn't to continue for a very long time, eventually the monster would catch up with them.

As soon the monster gained speed, the Wizard used some kind of spell, that covered the monster with a frosting,  
making it slower again. This gave some additional time, but for how long? I surely didn't have much time either,  
You can only really stay downed for thirty seconds before you actually die. If this fight was to...

However, in my astonishment, the boss stopped moving. I could no longer hear its heavy footsteps. I could only see,  
I could only hear so much, my consciousness was fading. But before it actually did, I felt a gentle, warm hand.  
It reached for my shoulder, pulling it upwards. If my fate was destined that day, I was not to go out meaninglessly.

===

Near the entrance to my apartments there was a small alley, typical doors and trashcans as far as you can see.  
Yet there was something strange happening there that night, even for me who is quite disinterested with things.

In the middle of a small puddle, away from public eyes, there was a light reflected all the way from the Moon.  
On the silent surface there was a white shape of a human, a small and gentle face, tiny hands and bare feet.  
I watched stupefied with my hands rubbing my eyes, but it was truly what I saw. This was not necessarily a dream.

Afterwards, the explanations in my head were appearing, perhaps it was a deja vu, or a self-fulfilling prophecy,  
but at the current time it seems those events I saw were falling into place, and I could not stop them from happening.

…

[Are you okay? You should be fine about now I think.]

A tender girl's voice opened my eyes. In my vision, a rather small lady with fair green eyes, pinkish hair tied in behind,  
an white flowery looking dress, with a small comfy cardigan with long sleeves, white tights with flower prints with girly shoes.  
Wherever you looked, this image screamed cute inside my heart. But I'm not so good with cute stuff, therefore I backed a little.

[Oh did I startle you? I'm extremely sorry for...]

[Right, this is enough. Hey, who are you? What did happen?]

I asked trying to ease the tension. She was also a little bit startled, quite understandably. While I awaited her reply,  
I also noticed the corpse that was laying just a few steps away from us both. It was the boss that we managed to defeat.  
This was really enough to explain the situation to me, which was that I now needed to loot the boss before the body disappeared.

[Oh okay, the boss is down, we should loot him right now.]

I said as I beckoned to the ever so slightly speaking girl. Obviously she somehow managed to finish the boss,   
that is all I really want to know. Therefore, without a further ado I started to move in order to loot the boss.  
The girl without a single word followed me feet by feet; her movement speed was the same due that we both were out of combat.

[Oh come on... let me finish at least.]

[You can talk all you want, I don't need to listen.]

I followed a more pressing matter at hand, looting the boss; or any monster in fact requires you to bring tools.  
You can create the tools yourself of course, like anything in this game, but what is so special about bosses is that,  
even with regular tools they drop a lot of materials. Every single material is worth a coin, and this right here is a gold mine.

On top of that, materials that come from monsters are needed to increase the stats of your weapons.   
It is the most sought out item in the world that became the currency for this game. Additionally,  
because more or less rare materials are needed only at certain times, the common materials are what people are after.

[This is really a rare occasion, don't you think?   
A short while ago, I was supposed to share this loot with like 20 other people.  
I don't think I would have gained anything from that hunt. What a waste it would be.]

[But now you are condoning? How fitting for a random thug such as you.  
The reason why I was here was to help, these poor people who died, finish the boss.  
But I see this was just a pipe dream, I was actually doing the whole work myself.]

Yea, I know that feeling, comrades that can't be trusted due their lack of skill. One false move,  
one tank that doesn't pay attention to mana, one priest who doesn't deal with projectiles,  
everything can turn upside down if people are not willing to get actually better at the game.

[I feel you, I had the same thing happen to me today.]

[Yes, quite frankly I have heard that the first attempt ended in a failure.  
At least we finally managed to put the nail into the coffin for this one, don't you think?]

[And all this loot yes, you can take half of it by the way.]

She frowned upon that reply, as if I didn't plan to take it all for myself from the beginning.  
It would be a waste if no one looted it while it was there, but since she helped me, I think fifty-fifty is fine.

[No, that's not... do you always act like a hero and then a bandit?]

[It's a free world baby, I don't need to be someone's pulley horse.]

As wild as it sounded, it did improve the mood of that girl; she even giggled at my jest. This wasn't of course a joke,  
I was quite serious about the situation. I don't usually stay in one place for too long, so there is no need to make friends.  
But that also means I don't want to force my ideals upon others, she is free to take her share and tribute others who died.

[So you say... perhaps I should introduce myself? My name is WRose,  
I play a Wizard, though with my staff I could play as well a Priest.  
I am currently... on an adventure towards a certain town.   
Are you perhaps antiquated with the name Maremoda?]

[I am a traveller, but I go where the wind blows.]

It is true, I don't have a home, I don't settle down, I don't have time or the will for such trivialities.  
Even now, I think I did overstay, even if I did profit from that. In any case, this conversation is also…   
tiring very much. Thus, without any delay, I take out my mustang and prepare to pick a course further down the horizon.

[Ha? Where did you get this bike? Is that a mount?  
Also your weapons, they seem like... backers only?  
You are like um... a person all way back from the crowdfunding?   
That's really cool, this is the first time I saw something like this!]

She chuckled with both of the thumbs up. I don't need this cheer, I did what I thought was okay at the time.  
But now, this weapon is just an unfair advantage they say. I'm not surprised,   
but it seem everyone forgot about the history of this game. It feels so dispiriting to me.

[Hey mister, you still didn't even give me your name,  
Are you going to say something or what? I saved your life so...   
at least don't act like you really didn't care either way.]

[My name is Wolf, young miss, I'm sure we will never meet...]

[Let me go with you, I am sure...]

She said hasty, almost fumbling on her words there. She closed the distance between us and raised her head.  
Her gaze now met mine, a fierce look full of determination. I knew she wasn't lying, when she said those words.  
But I also knew what a pain it would be to have her tag along. I simply prefer solo play. Well, there is also the matter...

[I am sure I will be a use to you!  
I mean, we make a great team together, don't we?  
You shouldn't just depend on your own strength alone,   
your backers whatever... yea that's just a fancier toothpick.]

It’s actually not, you can upgrade its star rank using the same materials as you would be using for creating a higher star weapon.  
The major difference is that with a normal weapon, you don’t keep upgrade weapons, so when you switch to a higher rank, it’s more grinding.  
I would not want to comment on the unique skills; that part is just a matter of proper balance, which is fine for me.

[Say, you must be clueless about many things, right?  
My dear white rose princess, I just ain't your prince you know?]

[Then allow me, my good sir, I will become yours.] 

She leaned on me, trying to hold me from behind. Her serious tone left no doubts. I guess this is the first time,  
for someone to be as pushy as she is. She must be having her own reason but is it really okay for anyone to follow me?  
I mean she is basically just tagging along for the ride, but when the time comes... Yes I guess I can't force my ideals upon others.

[You leave really no space to agree here,  
So at least let me drive and hop on the back.  
I hope you won't regret the bumpiness of this here sand dunes.]

[Oh... really? Is it okay? Then yes, gladly,  
I was really getting bored from walking this desert,  
thus I don't mind if I... well this is fine.]

She reluctantly hugged close to my back; I could feel her warm material snuggling with my coat. It was unclear why,  
why in the end I did agree to have party members come with me on this adventure. However, I don't know what would have happened,  
if I didn't accept their help. All in all, much like Rose, I'm also tired of this place.   
I only wanted some monster materials, and now I have a full bouquet of flowers behind me. A very lovely one I might add.


	2. Chapter 2

=== Chapter 2 [Feather]

[So where are we going again?]

We have been travelling for a while, through the endless desert. I don't think it even has a name,  
mainly because there is almost nothing here, apart from one thing. Usually in this game, when players build large cities,  
the monsters move to somewhere else. This is why in a place with nothing, like this one, there is a good chance to find monsters.

[There should be an encampment around here, hold on.]

I take out a map, which is created by players, like everything in this world. Because of that, it is kinda hard to read.  
Not only that, this endless sand doesn't really tell you where you are on the map, there are no tall landmarks.  
Disappointing as it is, it’s not something I am worried about; we will get to somewhere eventually.

[Oh right, if I read this correctly, there should be some ruins to the north.  
Once we get there, we should find out where exactly we are. Hold tight.]

I stepped on the gas, even if this machine doesn't actually use gas or any fuel. It basically requires just repairs,  
like everything in this world. Every building or item, other than equipment I guess, will deteriorate over time.  
You are required to repair it, or it will be destroyed. Luckily for me, this bike just needs metal, and you can find it anywhere basically.

[So, excuse my question, Wolf.  
Would you care to tell me how long have you been playing this game?  
For myself, I just started recently; I think I'm getting the hang of it...]

How long it was anyway? This game, called Unwritten, was created over a twelve years period. It wasn't like this at the start,  
it was just a basic sandbox game, envisioned by the legendary developer and producer, Ryszard G. himself. He had a good intent,  
but the original concept was lacking immersion. This is why he got this crazy idea of involving new technologies into the project.

At first, VRMMOs was something that only existed in a fictional world. Who knew that today, thanks to Synapse,  
something like this could have been created. Yes, this is not the first MMO that uses a VR, but it is the first one to use Synapse.  
Thanks to that, this game's experience is nothing like any previous games. Thank the developers they have decided to go this direction.

[...Too long to remember really.]

I broke the silence with those words, hesitating what to actually say. This is the truth however, I don't exactly remember how long,  
I played in the beta tests, I played on the original server, and now I play on this second server. To say the least,  
this game really changed for the better. I would not enjoy it if it was any different, I don't think anyone will.

This is because normally, in MMOs you are given too much information at once, things you can do and cannot.  
In this game, things like cooldowns, combat, HP, social interaction, all the essentials are handled not by screen but via Synapse.  
You get told for example when you skill if off cooldown, when your mana or hp is low, there is a stimuli for everything.

It's made specifically to breach the distance between game world and the real world. People expect to have a skill bar,  
they expect when you click anything there is extra information on everything. But when you include that in the game,  
the experience concentrates on the game mechanics, not on the physical connection between two different worlds.

[Well, I personally find myself really hard, to understand some of the things in this game,  
like how the combat is in this game. It feels really nice, but at the same time,  
because this is the first time someone ever have done this,  
it is hard to get used after all the other games I played.]

[Yea, you get used to it or not. There is always the other mode.]

The other mode I mentioned was the Battle Royale server, the more popular game that uses assets from this game.  
The gameplay is very similar, but the objective of the same is set; it is to survive as the last person standing.  
Even if the mechanics are similar to this game, it doesn't use Synapse, and the devs said there are differences.

This of course means, since in this MMO you don't get indications about how much damage you are doing or such,  
you can never really learn how this game operates for sure, you can only make assumptions. There is a hidden wiki,  
though the data is not always consistent with the game. That reminds me, I should check on other Archetypes.

[I'm... not interested in the other mode.  
But anyway, isn't this the ruins you were talking about earlier?  
We should turn left keep going straight from on now. Is that okay?]

[Yea, that was what I was planning to do anyway.]

And with that said, I guess we were going to right way now. That's as satisfying as it can get.  
I have some trading business here and there, if they don't have what I need then...  
I guess I would have to just find what I need again, by having to hunt materials again.

===

[Hey, finally we arrived. This must the place, right Wolf?  
There are all those tents and it seems to have people around.]

In the horizon, a small hunting village finally appeared in our vision. It might be just a bunch of tents,  
but it is enough for people to gather. In this game you can create a town anywhere, as long as there is enough space.  
Although, there is no reason to build just anywhere, the settlers need a specific purpose; in the case of this village it is hunting.

[Is this is your first time? If so, don't get surprised, because I warned you.]

There is a different expectation for everyone visiting a town for the first time in this game. Many think of npcs,  
but technically there are no npcs in this game. After logging out, residents of a settlement large enough will become AIs.  
Those AIs carry certain tasks, like being a shop clerk, creating items or just guarding its residents. They are also quite talkative.

[I'm thinking... There should be a shop or a quest giver or something.  
Wolf, over here, there is a guy there. He should know where to find a quest.]

Almost trying to tug the bottom of my coat, the little impatient girl she is, WRose clearly wanted to me to come along.  
I stepped off my bike, took it back to my inventory, and looked around for the first person behind a counter.  
There was just this one person who looked pretty shady. He was wearing full clothing, a turban and a mask. He was my guy.

[Hey, I need monster shells, I have monster crystals.]

[Hello good sir, care for a drink? The desert is wide, and very exhausting.  
If you can't keep hydrated you will fall a pray to the sand monsters here.]

He said with ignoring what I wanted, those AIs... He also was a hunter himself obviously,  
I tell from seeing some monster bones on the display behind him. WRose on the other hand...

[Good morning sir, I would gladly look at your wares.]

The girl bobbed a curtsy in front of this guy, possibly because she thinking this was a player. She wasn't wrong, that character was a player,  
but the owner of the character was offline; she was talking with an AI. This feature was thought up pretty early in the development,  
AI in video games is still something that not many games take advantage of. It is a shame really… even simple AIs can do wonders.

[Good morning young miss, will you be making a purchase today?  
We have a selection from stamina regenerating items, basic building materials,  
basic upgrading materials and rare upgrading materials, please take a look at this pamphlet.]

The satisfied petite hands of a little girl received the scrap of paper with a smile. On it, a texture image of the selection of this shop.  
A convenient innovation, one that allowed to change your stocked items on the fly. Every shop has one, probably.  
They of course vary; some has cutesy art, other have just text and a background. Anyway, I was never interested in them.

[Trade me, give me this item.]

I said with the simplest words that came into my mind. How else would the AI understand? Simple words work the best.

[I see, minster. I have to regrettably inform you that,  
today someone already bought up most of monster shells from out shop.  
However, if you please kindly look at our current selection...]

Determined to sell me something, anything at all, the AI kept talking about wares and wares. I was already bored.  
Not only I lost my chance at finding the easy source of the materials I needed, but also this meant more work.  
Additionally, whoever bought the entire stock would also cause more demand, and more demand means more hunters.

[Let me think... Wolf you should know what those items do right?  
Like this desert rose hair band, it would most delightfully fit me don't you think?  
But aren't those supposed to be items that give you stats or something?]

Given the accessory, the girl tried to stylishly don it in a way that would not cause clipping issues with her brained hair in the back.  
I think it looked fine, it surely did fit her style, but I also had no interest in fashion, especially girl’s fashion.  
What did matter for me were the stats, which this accessory obviously didn't give any, so I would not recommend buying it.

[They do, and then don't. If you fancy yourself a gift, then sure.]

[Huh...? I didn't think that way, please Wolf...  
If anything I should be the one that give you something,  
in return for the ride and everything. Say Wolf, is there anything...]

[I'm done with this town, and its shops. I am also fully equipped and ready, are you?]

I couldn't see any other reason to say here for any longer. We needed to move if we where to find anything to hunt.  
This is because I had a feeling, with not that many people around here and the stock being depleted, the people online were hunting.  
Therefore, if we don't want to fall behind and leave empty handed we had to be quick. Driving here I saw some monsters at...

[Are you coming too? I won't be waiting.]

I said to the girl while I was getting ready to leave. She was still deciding on the gift for me...  
even if I said I don't need anything. This is more or less why I choose to play solo, it's much faster.

[Well okay, I will just take this and we can leave.  
But do say Wolf, why are you always in hurry?  
Isn't the game more enjoyable if you have friends?  
Perhaps we could try to a find a party, there should be people around that we can...]

She kept talking while trying to keep up with my pace. Her logic wasn't incorrect, but I was not convinced.  
Still, having to deal with more people only meant more problems, it didn't open any new options in my opinion. 

[Say, you must have visited a dungeon before right?  
I heard about this game's dungeons but I haven't been to...]

[Dungeons huh? That is exactly what I was planning.]

I'm glad we are on the same page, WRose. Dungeons, unlike hunting zones, are instances created by players.  
There is a limit on how many you can create per day, and you require specials keys to open the doors to them.  
They are always an option to grind, but also they are only way to get high star weapons. Today, I was fine I thought.

[Yea, I'm sorry, I don't how exactly do you do dungeons in this game,  
would you be so kind and explain them to me Wolf? We should also search for party members.]

I didn't plan for full party; the dungeon I wanted materials from is rather easy, even with just us two.  
On top of that she ran off before I said anything. I guess we are doing this her way now.

===

Standing in the sand; looking at the sun, the time started to move slower and slower. I took my smoke break, a brief of fresh air.  
As a rule, I wouldn't party with others; wasting my time was out of the question. But the situation that I was in now,  
it required me to fight my habit, to break away from being a lone wolf. Playing with a new player like her was also a new thing for me.

After a while, she returned with two other people. I think I was waiting for ten minutes or something like that.

[So, this is the other guy I was talking about.  
His name is Wolf and he seems to be very knowledgeable about this game.  
I was very grateful for meeting him today, he plays a Rogue.]

[Hey there, Wolf, how is it? Call me Darku, I play a Marksman]

A strange looking girl said, with a boyish tone. She was taller than WRose, taller than a normal girl would be.  
She had a coat, leather boots, a skirt and a shirt that looked like a school uniform. Her skin was violet,  
her hair white and her eyes red, though one of her eye was covered by her hair. She looked like a drow from a fantasy setting.

[Hoi hoi, it's me Titania!]

Afterwards, wearing a full plated armour, the tallest of the them three spoke with enthusiasm,  
while holding an energetic pose with one of the hands in the air. She was a girl with long blonde pony tail,  
a helmet with a visor, gold, purple and light blue accents on her skirt and shirt. She was certainly a knight.

[Oh, those two? They are fine I don't expect much.]

I said with little room to argue. Obviously I can't tell anything about those two, whom WRose randomly found.  
They might be helpful, they might end up just being a problem, but I didn't care much. If anything, I can only trust myself,  
I will just have to adjust to any mistakes they do. Saying so, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was able to solo this dungeon.

[Oh my Wolfie, why such a skeptical mood? You be surprised bruh.]

The knight girl asserted, as if she was sure she is going to do well. But that alone just solidified my worries,  
what if I actually should step back and return to what I was doing all this time? It was not too late, I thought.

[You are right Titania, though Wolf just simply looks like that kind of a guy.  
In my opinion, we be fine, whatever happens. We are already quite balanced,  
in terms of party composition right? Just like a proper party from a DnD campaign.]

[Ehe~ I gotta be the Paladin, because I got the looks right? All the Charisma!]

The tall girl jokingly interjected while giggling. She was quite in the groove, all ready for a charge into the fire.  
I didn’t think I can work well with this party; at this point it would be a waste to open a dungeon for them.  
What I should do is to politely decline and just do my usual stuff... at least that what I thought until...

[Hey, Wolf. Can I talk with you for a second?]

WRose, in a half-whispering voice, gathered my attention. She walked close to me so that only I could hear her whisper.

[I know that you are not fast to trusting others, nor that I know much about you.  
But even if I am asking for much, I don't want you to rely so hard on yourself.  
When you have friends, the adventure becomes livelier, don't you think so?]

She was trying to convince me again, against my play style. But that wasn't just my play style, that was how I am.  
Whenever others want something from me, it’s always a bother. When you have to rely on others, you never get what you want.  
If you really want something done properly, you can only trust yourself. That is what I believed in. However...

[So that doesn't sound convincing?  
I know... I should give you some time and...]

And now she sounded more concerned, more than ever. No one ever spoke like that to me, even if it was just an online game.  
I was divided between the me that I wanted to uphold and the me in her eyes. I looked at them, they gazed back into me.  
I was not sure what I saw, but my expression worried me. In fact, I was scared of something that followed me all the way here.

[I... I am not sure about those two, WRose. That's all.]

Keeping my cool behind my glasses, I replied to her with a straight face.

[Are you sure you don't want to give them at least a chance? I won't force you, just hear me out.  
There is nothing wrong with giving other's your stage, everyone stumbles from time to time,  
but in the end they come around. If you don't believe you can do always improve,  
I don't think you will ever... well nevermind. ]

She stumbled mid sentence, as if she wanted to say something but then decided not to. So it's not just me eh? And then...

[Well, whatever... I will have your way for day.]

Maybe I was just playing the cool guy role, but I let the kid do what she wanted. I was a nice guy after all.  
On top of that, I don't think I would be ever able to talk to her again after those words, a strange feeling.  
After she opened to me, in spite of my behaviour, I started to feel more convinced. I wanted to believe that I made the right choice.

[Hey hey, party leader. Are we going yet?  
I thought we could have just ditched you if you rather just afk here.]

The Paladin shrugged. In a way she was right, I was taking too much time here already.

[I'm going to open a dungeon, just try to keep up.]

And the next second, we all walked through the portal I opened. I wasn't too sure what I should expect.

===

But I wasn't disappointed. So far our progress was on a steady pace. Yes, we do lack a Priest, but at the same time,  
for this particular dungeon I don't think we actually require one. Walking cautiously through the dark catacombs,  
bashing skeletons left and right, little by little we made our way to the boss room. Still something was amiss.

Our party was right before the door; the entrance was only one way, meaning that we would not be able to go back.  
I checked everyone status, they were healthy and full on mana. I made a signal to stop; I wanted to confirm our strategy.

[Listen, the boss of this place is giant skeleton.  
His overhead swing has the longest animation. Watch for that and attack.  
Additionally, he will summon adds at the start and a second time later on.]

[I will be taking the adds then, Wolf.]

[Roger dodger, allow me to take the lead then.]

[I'm ready, let's do it.]

WRose, Titania and Darku confirmed their readiness respectively. However, when we entered through the doorway,  
rather than a giant skeleton forming in the middle of the room, there was a circle. It glowed with light,  
bright but not blinding. From it raised a feathered creature, with two legs and a pair of wings. What was happening?

[This is... something different. Don't do rash things.]

But I said that too late, our Tank was already in combat. It wasn't the worst since she did in fact grouped all the adds.  
With that in our minds, the Wizard and the Marksman started dealing AoE damage to deal with the adds quickly.  
I on the other hand, entering the range of every monster in the room would be a suicide, thus I kept my distance with my shotgun.

However, as soon as all of us started attacking, Titania had a bright idea. In preparations for receiving the attack,  
her character invoked a mystical shield that orbited around her armour. That skill meant that with her defences increased,  
she was planning to take all the hits without dodging. Wasn't this a little early? But then I saw just exactly she meant to do.

[Silly monsters, I have enough for y'all.]

Instead of mitigating the damage by blocking, she used a skill aggressively. Her giant two handed sword smashed into the ground,  
creating a ripple in the ground that extended throughout the room. The skeletons that surrounded her fallen to the floor,  
though the bird stood still without suffering any visible damage. It jolted its beak swiftly at the knight, without stopping her.

The tank created additional two ripples, and then swung her sword over head in a circular motion. Connecting mostly with the boss,  
it did leave a visible scar on its feathers. The skill she just used, it lowers the defences of the target.  
Knowing so, I instantly recognized her intentions, she was about to initiate an attack. I had to charge my dash as soon as possible.

[I got this.]

I flung myself at the boss, hoping for the best and used Vault. Obviously in any normal condition, I would have got countered.  
However, I trusted my Tank, or at least hoped that she paid attention. The second I reached the giant bird, it did what I predicted.  
As for Titania, she was ready too. Before the animation could finish, she used her own counter to take the hit for me.

Now the boss's head was in her grasp. Naturally all the boss monsters have a protection against stagger.  
No matter how many times you hit then, they stand still and continue attacking. However, as long the boss is in grab state,  
your party members can safely attack it. This leads to a very intense button mashing, where you want to use your long animations.

Not bothering with the adds, our tank was taking extra damage while holding the boss. She used her grapple extender,  
bringing her massive sword down onto the head of the monstrosity. Green light appeared which restored a little bit of vitality for her.  
At the same time, I was in the wrong position, so I moved quickly behind the boss and stabbed it as best I could.

[Let me assist as well.]

But the combo wouldn't end here. Cast her glowing lights and shield WRose, moved to the side of the boss.  
Her magic lights reached some adds as well as the boss. However her plan was to use another skill in combination.  
A colourful light exploded out of her hands, creating a vibrant beam that pierced through the bird; extending by the second.

[This is going well, here.]

Darku used her grab as well, giving us more time to deal damage. After throwing her net at the bird,  
she didn't move forward like WRose. Instead she stayed behind in case something would have happened.  
Finally, cancelling her laser, the wizard used her grab as well. With a shadowy grasp, the boss was thrown away from the party.

In this game, as long as you chain your grabs, you can continue combo as a party. In some cases,  
it might be not smart to spend too much mana just on one skill, and then having no mana until grabs are available again.  
Strategy and coordination is a must if you want to take down bosses. This team was doing well so far.

Now that our attack was finished, the giant chicken gathered its strength for a mighty leap.  
WRose teleported to safety just before it jumped into the air, I also moved away reaching the corner of the room.  
The only person that didn't move out of its way was our Tank. She has very confident that she could take a hit.

In both my and her surprise it seemed that she was wrong. The bird landed directly beneath her.  
With that one huge hit she received, she was flung backwards with force and landed on the ground.  
This wasn't supposed to happen; the boss here doesn't have an ability like that. I was unsure what was happening.

[This is bad, keep distance!]

I shouted while looking around the room. Fortunately or unlucky the leap the bird preformed also smashed the skeletons.  
This meant we didn't need to deal with them now, but there is another wave coming soon. We had to spread out,  
position ourselves in the corners of the rooms, and wait for the adds to appear before doing anything to the boss.

Easier said than done.

===

[Titania! Hold on, I'm going to help you.]

WRose rushed to her aid, trying to recover her companion as soon as possible. In other games,  
usually when the tank dies it is all over; underestimating how much damage can you take is a bad play.  
However, in these circumstances I think no one expected for the damage to be this big. We had to be more careful from now on.

[Okay, I let me take the aggro.]

As a Marksman, Darku should have access to certain skills that would allow her to act as a distraction.  
She fearlessly walked around the bird, reading an arrow from the boss's blind side. Releasing the payload,  
the beast has been pierced with a lighting fast projectile. It left a small searing wound on one of its wings.

Still on the hunt, Darku took several more arrows from her quiver and launched all of them at once. Reaching the boss,  
they absorbed the bird's attention and now the drow became its target. With two being close, the mighty beak swung yet again,  
this time missing its mark. Furious, the bird gave chance after her, with its wings flapping. This plan was working.

[Yes, thank you Darku!]

One of the features of Marksmans is that they can use a very quick dodge move that evades danger. However,  
there is a cooldown, you can't do it all the time. It is not smart to use it offensively; this was still a risk.  
On the other hand, if anything we can't afford playing it safe forever. We have to struggle together or we will die one by one.

[Yo, thanks a lot Rosie, I owe ya.]

The tank was on her feet again, not ready to fight but at least in a better situation. In order to go back to combat,  
she had to restore her hp back to maximum. As she keeled down, a power surge enveloped her body from below.  
It slowly restored her vitality, soon she we could resume our battle with the boss. However, something different has happened.

Ignoring the Marksman, the bird suddenly jumped into the air, and flew towards WRose and Titania. It was a surprise for everyone,  
and yes, the AI was in fact unpredictable some times. However, if we didn't do something fast, Titania's healing would be interrupted.  
I instantly dashed towards the boss, trying to use whichever skill I had available. It hoped that at least it would stop.

[It's coming! Get away.]

I shouted knowing that they might not have enough time to escape. WRose just used her teleport,  
while our tank was not in the shape to take hits. However, something then happened that surprised me.  
Our Wizard, summoning her light spheres, jumped in front of the flying bird and turned into a gas form.

Her plan was to take the aggro herself. She could not take too much damage before dying, but at least it would help Titania.  
With a fizz, the mass of particles annoyed the boss, damaging it so slightly. It swung at them with its beak, again and again,  
trying to disburse the clouding field in front of its eyes. It was a fierce aerial battle, between the two's egos.

WRose of course took the damage for it. However, it seemed that her life was not as important as her comrade's.  
Her bravery, as much as it is understandable, might also cost us the dungeon. In this game you only get one shot at a boss.  
If you die during the dungeon, you can't retry the same day. It makes each encounter even so more exciting.

[Okay Rosie, now it's my turn.]

The tank stood up in time, full healed and ready to take aggro. Although she wanted to resume normal operations,  
the bird spread its wings and hovered in the air. It was clearly readying an attack, we should have been moving out of the range.  
Instead, Titania was charging into the fray, trying to block the damage for WRose who just turned back to flesh.

The full plated knight rushed towards the small defenceless looking wizard, standing firmly before her.  
Just as she raised her sword high, in anticipation for a fearsome attack, the bird flopped its wings stormily.  
A sky of piercing feathers came down falling down on the two, but they did in fact prevailed the onslaught.

WRose looked beaten, she was still standing. She wanted to move away, to make some space between her and the boss.  
Alas, she was instantly met with resistance. At the worst possible time, from the nearby wall, skeletons stood animated.  
There was no obstacle between them and WRose. With a few strikes, with her no longer having any cooldowns, she was defeated.

[Oh no! Let us take the adds again.]

Darku said, trying to keep her composure. She and I now had the job to dealing with the adds, before we could deal with the boss again.  
I could take one, with her taking the other, but it would take more time to deal with them individually rather than just doing AoE.  
Meanwhile, our tank would have to hold the aggro and survive the boss. Knowing the boss had very strong attacks, it was unlikely.

[Oh my gush, WRose! Hang in there!]

[No! Focus on tanking!]

Titania wanted to help up the Wizard, but we didn't have a time for that. If the boss would go after us,  
we would not be able to deal with the adds. If we didn't clear the adds the Tank would take extra damage again.  
At the moment, he had no choice but to take it slow, even if that meant leaving WRose to die. Still, another surprise hit us...

Instead of being focused on the Tank, the bird brain it was, the boss landed and turned its attention to Darku.  
This changes her plan, instead of using the bow and hitting the adds, the Marksman decides to make traps.  
Knowing this, at the same time Titania raised her two handed sword high in the air, and gathered her strength.

As she brought down the blade, a wave of energy roared through the floor, passing through the boss.  
On the other side, a wall of stone rose out of the ground, blocking the way the bird was heading.  
This time, it has no choice, it had to turn back and face the knight in an unfair combat. The difference in size was obvious.

[Don't bother with me, just take down the adds!]

She shouted behind the wall. What was happening there I couldn't see, but it seemed that she was taking hits after hits.  
I, on the other hand, was going after skeletons. With a quick dash, and a combo it was enough to take a single one down.  
For Darku, as soon as she finished her trap, she changed her focus on helping me. But then, suddenly the stone wall collapsed.

===

What we saw both, was the bird running through the wall effortlessly, while Titania was against a wall, trying to stand up.  
The aggro was again on Darku, I presumed, that is why the boss moved towards her. However, she was ready, at least her traps where.  
I didn't knew if I had time or the mana to rush to help if needed, but alone I couldn't do much more than just deal damage.

[I'm sorry.]

The knight vocalized while catching her breath. She still could fight but was clearly wounded.  
Her choices where to either help out WRose, go after the adds or attack the boss. I couldn't say what she was going to do,  
therefore I continued my plan. When Darku attacks, I'm going to follow with whatever mana I still have.

[Okay, here it comes.]

A single box sprung out of the ground; it instantly started shooting arrows at the direction the boss was going.  
One after the other, it did trivial damage, almost not doing anything at all. However, as the bird approached,  
it rushed its beak furiously against the Marksman. Darku was ready for the attack, and swiftly dodged out of the way.

Now was the time to attack. With the boss in the place she wanted, she activated all the remaining traps.  
One of them changed the floor into a sea of electricity, shocking the bird. The other one, looking like a huge bear trap,  
attached itself to the bosses leg, snaring it in place. Darku took that time to use a few skills, and then threw her net.

And that was my cue to dash in. With its grab retaliation out of the picture, I had to follow up at once.  
I used Vault, and swiftly moved to behind of the boss. I only had time for one or two attacks before the boss turned to me,  
thus I used Backstab. Before I could run away, the bird used its legs to kick me, but I was ready to Parry.

With a quick draw of my katana, I was satisfied with the damage I dealt. Without waiting for the boss to turn,  
I used Backstep I escape to safety. However, in my place, unexpectedly Titania moved in to grab the boss.  
This indeed allowed me to continue the combo, so I quickly moved back in using the S/A of my Backstep.

[Stupid bird!]

She swung her blade down at the foe, again and again, with great strength. It was clear that her mana was going to deplete soon.  
Meanwhile, I moved in to do my combo, I didn't have all of the cooldowns but at least I could still do some damage.  
The problem was getting back; I was almost completely out of mana and out of useful skills. If I overdid it...

[Here goes nothing.]

I took a gamble. I knew that if I didn't use all my abilities here, we would not likely defeat the boss.  
With Titania low on hp she would be the first one to fall. With only two players, we wouldn't be able to deal with adds,  
thus the entire party would eventually perish. This was really the best thing I could come up in that situation.

[You serious man?]

The moment Darku spoke those words, the boss recovered from being staggered and swiped at me and the tank.  
Titania was flung backwards and stayed on the ground. As for me, hardly breathing and in pain, I still had some hp left.  
From here now on, I had to leave everything to Darku, who had a special arrow prepared in her hand.

Firing slowly, a pure white bone was fired towards the boss, hitting it in between its feet.  
This was presumably to slow the bird down, however because of the earlier snare, I guess it became resistant.  
It wasn't even a second before it started moving again, allowing for just two or three extra hits.

As for me, I was facing the back of the boss, who moved slowly towards Darku. Behind me adds where catching up.  
Far away and behind the adds, Titania and WRose where on the ground. I could die here, not doing nothing,  
or just try a last ditch effort at taking the boss with me. That way, I would at least try not to waste everyone's labour.

[Wait... what?]

Before I could decide properly, the boss once again flew into the air. The attack from before was aimed at Darku.  
Although I thought it would be smarter to move out of the way, Darku stood and triggered a trap I had no idea about before.  
She was flung high in the air, firing arrows at the beast. Not only that way she evaded the feather attack, she also dealt good damage.

Afterwards, both of them landed on the ground, but it was Darku who landed on the feet. The bird's numbness body,  
like a doll hit the ground with a loud screech echoing the room. The skeleton adds were no more, disappearing from sight.  
WRose and Titania both got up, albeit sluggishly. This could only mean one thing; we actually succeeded in beating the boss!

[Holy... MVP Darku!]

The knight rushed at the drow's side, promptly hugging her companion tightly. She looked very excited,  
just like the rest of us. I didn't know what was going on at the beginning, but we did survive.  
I didn't trust that we could do it, but in the end we managed to succeed. I was just a small part of that success.

[Hey, could you... well I know you are happy but...  
a little restrain would be in order.]

[Thank you everyone, we managed to beat the boss in the end.  
I suppose... I should be apologizing for my aggressive play style.]

WRose bowed down her head, as if she was the cause of the troubles we had. If we succeed in the end,  
there is nothing to apologize for. Still, if anything, it should be Titania who should cool her hothead.  
In any case, I would really want to see what this boss I never saw before dropped. It must be a rare item right?

[This is... a feather? Wait, it's not just that, it's actually a Word!]

[Hold on a second. Wolf, can you please tell me what a Word is?]

Words in this game are special items that you can't trade with other players. They are used in many ways,  
like imbuing accessories to give them magical properties, or crafting dungeon doors. Depending on the words used,  
results may vary. Additionally, there is little information about them online. In fact, this is the first time I see [Feather].

[Crafting accessories, dungeons and stuff. Pretty useful stuff.]

[And stuff? That sounds...]

Yes, words also have a special purpose, one that should remain a secret to others.

===

After leaving the dungeon, I decided to regenerate my stamina to full, while doing some crafting on the side.  
Because I am a player without a home, one that is called a nomad, I can't log out and use an AI to do that.  
In the meanwhile, others decided to join me by the fire in the night. The moon was shining down on the endless sands.

[So wanna hear a story?]

I decided to share a little of with the party; it was the setting behind this game that people don't read.  
It was really interesting for me at least, so I gathered my voice and spoke between taking smoke puffs.

[Believe it or not, this world was created by ancient humans, living in way in the past.  
The world looked different; the very essence of humanity was the cause of it. For you see,  
people back then had the power to call words into existence, whatever they would say would become real.]

[Whoa, That's really cool! So it's like you could make anything you wanted?]

[Right Titania, something like that... but let's get back to our point. At some point there was a great tragedy,  
and even with the power they had, humans were unable to prevent the worst, the end of the world that was unavoidable.  
To counter the disaster and save earth, our ancestors devised a plan. They created a pocket world that would survive the tragedy.]

[That's... mighty interesting Wolf. This is all related to the game?]

[Yes WRose, the events of that time still have an impact today. You see, the world we are currently in,  
it is the very same world that was created back then. Of course, I don't why are we allowed to be here,  
but there must be a reason. If there is one really, it must be hidden somewhere in this world.]

After those words left my mouth, there was a brief silence. I don't expect them to understand right away,  
it always take time for someone to take this information in. I looked at the moon in the horizon. Tomorrow,  
I should be leaving this desert and moving somewhere where there is actually grass. For one, my feet will be grateful.

I don't know what will happen with others, we had a good connection but in the end, but I'm a solo player.  
I don't want to get others involved, simply because there is too much things to consider, things I rather not think about.  
This is for the better, I told to myself. Sighed, I reached for my weapon and starting the lengthy crafting process.

[Say say, Rosie? Why is your WRose? I get the other part,  
you have a flower motive and you are little girl but why W? Is that white?  
Maybe there is a particular reason behind all this I'm missing or what?]

[Particular reason? Em... let me think about it first...]

The girls where conversing about something relatively uninteresting back at the fireplace. I on the other hand,  
when you upgrade your weapons you can increase one of the four stats, which are Health, Mana, Physical Defence and Magical Defence.  
Additionally you can increase star ranks of certain weapons. This is what I was going for tonight.

[So tell me Rosie, how much of that slider did you use?  
I mean if you didn't use any at all, it should have been flat right?  
Ehehe~ but I see there is still some brae under that shrug.]

[Please... Titania, you know about the restriction right?]

Restrictions huh? She must be talking about the Synapse's forbidden areas. What I heard is that,  
in the past there was complains about certain stimulations that were far from decent. So the company had to answer for that,  
they were put on a trail which resulted in a strict viewing what is allowed to be a stimulation and what can't.

To put it briefly, touching areas around the crouch up to the areas around the chest, areas around the upper thighs,  
as well are areas around buttocks are forbidden. It is also forbidden to stimulate putting something into mount,  
or affecting internal organs, although you can stimulate various tastes in the mouth. Too invasive sensations, like being stabbed, are also controlled.

[You know, I let in you in on a little secret.  
When I was creating this character I wanted a name with tits in it,  
but that was not allowed… I know right?  
I also wanted a boob plate but this one is actually quite realistically shaped.]

[But it's not a problem? I mean,  
even if someone touches it you feel nothing right?]

[Yea, I feel like I was cheated out of my boob plate!]

They were talking about the number one topic girls talk online, it seems. Well, that doesn't concern me so...

[Hey, Daki, aren't you going to join as well? Come on gurl, sit with us.  
Do I need to use purely affective, not sexual VR gesture on you too?]

[I'm actually a guy. Yes, that might be a shocker for you, but I get that a lot of times.]

[Uuuu, Darku... I didn't know you were swinging like that?  
Hey, don't you think can escape with that alone, I'm gonna get ya!]

They where bonding, I guess? I am not well versed in VR behaviours. It was something like how much distance is okay,  
that you don't put anything in each other's eyes or something... Even if you can play this game without VR,  
it has all the VR features you would find in other games. Maybe it is okay to say, a game with VR features would not sell nowadays…

[Do you mind if I sit next to you, Wolf?  
I have something I wish to discuss with you, if you please.]

WRose, who appeared next to me while I was thinking, asked me as if she wanted to say something important.

[Sure, I don't mind. What is on your mind?]

[What are you going to do after today?  
I think, the four of us together make a wonderful team.  
You said also you didn't care where you would travel,  
thus I think you would enjoy Maremoda. It can't be far from where we are currently.]

[I see... I will think about tomorrow.]

With that I finished my crafting and what I wanted to do today. All that was left was to go to sleep.

[Then, Wolf I will see you tomorrow, right?]

WRose said, looking at me with her green eyes that reflected fire from the fire place. A warm expression,  
one that could put a man to sleep the moment he looked. Yea, she looked way too cute in that accessory...


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was set; it was morning for me and the rest of the world. I looked around to see if anyone was around,  
but the horizon was empty. There was only sand, only emptiness. There was something missing in this picture,  
something that told me to move, to run as fast I could towards the mountains. There, I thought, I would find peace again.

I climbed a hill, to better survey my surroundings. To the east, ruins on an old city laid barren.  
To the west, nothing but more sand, not even a single soul. My direction, north. I took out my bike,  
mounted it and started the engine. Revving up the throttle, I ride down the dune, and gain speed.

With the wind against my face, my hair flutters back. I feel free again, free from gravity of physics.  
My coat makes a swooshing sound, dumbed by the loud sound of the motor. But I can't hear anything,  
but my own thoughts. It is like my head is in a whole different world. Unfortunately, that didn't last long.

[Hey there Wofie, nice bike.]

I was spotted; it seemed that the party I was with yesterday was just around the corner.  
Titania, the friskiest of them three, waved at me ostentatiously. WRose, who usually acted shyly,  
she stood there among her comrades happy and without a worry. And Darku, he was actually a guy right?

[Good morning, Wolf. How are you today?]

I had no reason to stop, though I was thinking about just talking with them for a second.  
I took my motorcycle back to my inventory, and replied to the girl's greeting with waving my hand at her.

[Wow, saying hello and all in a video game?  
That's kinda nostalgic, like in old MMOs or something.]

[Yea sure... what are you guys doing here?]

Were they deliberately waiting for me, or was this a coincidence again? To say the least,  
In this game it is not easy to find certain people, even if you had befriended them. There are no map icons,  
you ought to meet up in places with landmarks. In any case, something told me that I will be not soloing today either.

[Well, all the three of us in fact were waiting for you to login,  
but since it took a while, we decided to go on ahead and try to farm some monsters.  
Unfortunately, no monsters were in sight. It is kinda surprisingly, don't you think?]

[By the way, I did send you a friend request, Wolf,  
did you receive it? I would be most welcome if you did become my friend.]

The friend request WRose was talking about was a system in the game that allowed players to socialize more easily.  
I never had an interest in looking who was currently online. Additionally, some of the core gameplay menus, like friend list,  
crafting and inventory still use a traditional popup window. It is convenient, but at the same time, distracting.

[Sure I don't mind... and done.]

There were actually three friend requests, all from the people I was standing next to.

[So hey Wolfie, wanna go hunting? There is still one place we didn't check.]

Just as Titania said those words, I heard that someone, or a group people, was closing on your position.  
They were still some distance away, although the sound was louder with each second. I looked around,  
noticing Darku looking at a certain direction. Soon I learned why he would be standing silent.

[Hey there, long time not see Xyl. I see you are busy as ever?]

[You gotta stretch from time to time; I just have to when I get the chance.]

A tall man in fancy clothes, massive build and a beard started talking to Darku. They where acquaintances maybe?  
Besides him, several other people were following him around. They all were a mix of different characters.

[By the way, did you come to visit me to talk about the old times,  
or did you have a particular reason to come all the way to this desert?]

[Today, it will be the latter; there is something you probably should know, so listen well.  
Our guild were doing some doing and scouting lately and it seems that the war will be unavoidable.  
Ares wills it. It might not concern you now, but I will be blunt, I want you to be a part of this.]

Giving each other a stare, both of the men gathered their thoughts in silence. I wasn't sure what was going on yet,  
but it seemed that Darku was involved into something with this guy. Whatever it was, I didn't want to be a part of it.

[To be honest, I was expecting you asking me to go back to the guild.  
I think you know the answer but you came to know the reason for it, right?  
Well, personally I am not sure why. All those years and MMOs with me and you, I miss them.]

[I miss them too, Darku, but I have people to take care of.   
I'm sorry to bother you as well, but I care for you, truly I do.  
Just so you know, I will always be there for you in times of need.]

[Nevertheless, I want some time to think about things, getting more involved would be deteriorating.  
Also, you know I was against the war in general right? Yea, I don't want to feel guilty about it.]

With the conversation gaining speed, all of the sudden Titania interjected, a little bit confused of what was going on.

[Hey guys, sorry for interrupting your lovely bromance,   
but are you like old guild members or something?]

Sighting, Darku replied to her question.

[Yes, that is correct; I have been part of the guild TSA,  
this guy runs it, and few other guilds in a few other games.]

[I also organize pvp tournaments in this game, and I run an online stream.  
Sorry, but the stream is off at the moment. You can drop me a follow if you like to though.]

The big man released a small chuckle, he was obviously joking in a way. Putting that aside,  
it seems that after Titania's question, they resumed the conversation back where they paused.

[So then, just so you know Darku, I will be around. Just call me when you need me okay?   
By the way, strange to ask you guys here, but did you find someone suspicious around here lately?  
Monster and horde huntings, buying out materials, that smells like someone was taking up a collection.]

[Yea, I figured that. They say that one man and a girl took all the loot from the horde.]

This must be... me and WRose? Technically I don't know what she did with her share,  
but I already used mine so I don't have anything to add. Luckily, she didn't look like she wanted to say anything either.  
In fact, we were not the people who bought out materials and made me and WRose do a dungeon instead.

[Okay then, I guess that is all I wanted to say. I still need to meet some people,  
I will be busy but I will catch you later Darku. Oh, there is also someone that wanted to meet you.]

Before Xyl teleported, a robot character came out of his back. It looked very futuristic,  
like a cyborg but with a synthetic human face. It was a really cool avatar in my opinion.

[Greetings human units, I extend my solutions to you on this fine day.]

It spoke with a metallic and synthetic tone, while waving at us in an artificial looking motion.

[Hey G1, Is there something you wanted to talk about?]

[I request confidential transfer of data between units G1=98 and unit Darku.]

It also spoke weirdly, using words that would be fitting for a robot.

[Sure, I will teleport to you guys later, so go on ahead.]

Darku pleaded to us three, asking for some time. I was fine with that; I did waste enough time already here.

[You will be fine on your own Daki? I see,  
have fun with your robot friend there, and take care.]

[Yes, Darku, in case if you have to logout, please inform us.]

WRose bowed and followed Titania, who already decided to walk away. The direction she was heading,  
I think on the map was the end of the desert. We were finally going to leave this place, I hoped.

===

[So G1, you wanted to say something?  
I already told Xyl that I'm not interested in war.]

[This unit requests your utmost attention, as for this data's importance level has been set at level three.  
This unit recently received confidential data addressed for unit Darku's eyes only.  
In order to fulfil the request, this unit will transfer data. Commencing data transfer...]

[Sure… I don’t mind.]

So, after opening the file, Gee wanted to deliver me some kind of message from my ex. I wish I knew about this before,  
I would have not accepted the message then. That's too late now, oh well. I might as well see what did she sent me.

"Dear Darku,  
I know I maybe this might be sudden, but I have decided that it about time.  
First of all, I would like to thank you for all this we did spend together; I was a very happy girl to have met you.  
Unfortunately, because of the work I can't be playing this new MMO with you honey.  
I have been going through changes, things are new for me and it's hard. But I was thinking about you,  
and that alone gave me the strength to pull through. I miss you honey, I really do.  
I really do want to say sorry and start again; I want to think there was something special between us to.  
But that is now in the past, and I don't know if you feel in the same way. It's been this long.

Therefore, I think we should try to meet together, you know, not in VR. I attached my schedule,  
be sure to tell me in advance if your pick a date. I will be awaiting for your reply eagerly.

Your pumpkin,  
XXX"

Yes, that was definitely her, I could tell both from the writing style and from the picture attached.  
My ex was trying to take me back into a relationship with her, it seems. She also sounded a little...  
how would you say it... apologetic? That is a good sign, for her, but it is also a bad sign, for me.

[Yes, thank you G1. You were always very helpful for me.]

[This unit accepts your words of gratitude. With Mission was accomplished, this unit will take leave.]

[Wait up, G1, there is still something I want to ask you.]

I clearly didn't want to leave things at that. First, I had no idea how Gee got my Ex's message.  
Second, I didn't want to answer that message at all. Third, I knew she would just message me again.  
And so on... there was a lot of reasons why I wanted to somehow talk it off with Gee, he's a good bro.

[Honestly, I'm in a bit of loss right now. You know my ex girlfriend right?   
At least she someone got your e-mail I guess... Anyway, the problem is that I can't go back to that.  
I decided to quit. There are reasons for that, I'm sure you can figure them on your own because I rather not...]

[This unit has limited mathematical abilities; it would be difficult to comprehend the reason fully.]

[That's fine too, I don't want to ask you for something impossible either.  
It's my fault and my problem, so don't think too hard. Also, your voice improved right?]

I decided that it would be the best to change subject, too much of that would fry my circuits or something.

[Understood, this unit will initiate the analysis program. Loading data... loading complete.  
Comparing the voice function between the old version and the new version... Accessing prognosis.  
Unit Darku who is lacking the prime directive is lost in thought, made mistake. Voice program was not changed.]

The prime directive that Gee was talking about was his connection to the past and belief that in life,  
nothing ever changes. It was a mix of determinism and existential crisis that made him this way.  
I can't say he is wrong, I respect his ideology and can see its merits. It's just that I want my way more.

[Eh, give me a break. It's been a while, but then again this game might be different.  
I mean, the voice program and all... but let's get back on topic. We both know very well,  
prime directive is something that you really adore, but I had decided against it lately.]

It was a short while ago, that I have decided to cut my connections with the past me.  
I know how much I was stuck in the past, unable to move forward in life or in my relationship.  
This is why I decided to play this game, to have a new start, even if this game feels... strangely nostalgic.

[Affirmative, this unit was simply trying to give options to the solution unit Darku is facing.  
The logic was, prime directive did never betray this unit, thus was considered as an answer.  
However, due the lacking process power of this unit, there was no better assistance it could provide.]

[Yea I know, like I said you are always helpful. I don't think it's the three robotic laws either,  
you are just that kind of person. Let's just say, I will think about this okay? Collect and exchange data with others,  
having a good time, just playing this game, and stuff. You are free to join in too, I guess.]

I didn't know to put in better words, I was just tired about this, and wanted to put that letter away.  
However, it would return to me at some point, so that wasn’t really a solution either. Finally,  
if I wasn't mistaken, I already told someone else that I will be coming. I think it was about time I would...

[Sorry G1, I gotta go. We can talk about the past and this later okay?]

[Acknowledged, this unit will do in accord of unit Darku's wishes. May we meet again at better circumstances.]

Thank you gee, I will be fine now. Others are waiting for me, and I should be able to teleport from here.  
I don’t think I am supposed to tell them about what happened here, so for now I am going to remain silent.

===

We reached the top of the stone wall. I was tired from climbing, but at least we left the sand behind.  
I took my shoes off and shook them, trying to empty it from sand. Luckily the game was not as realistic, no sand was stuck.  
Looking at the distance, we were on a hill with thick vegetation but lacking in density of trees. There was also...

[Do you guys hear a river too? There must a source of water or something right?  
Yaa, I would totally want to try a fresh mountain water right about now.] 

While stretching her arms Titania informed us of her discovery. I am not sure about the taste of water but...

[Right, if we follow the river downstream, we should be able to reach the ocean.  
Once we get there, we just need to follow the coastline to the north to reach Maremoda.  
So then Wolf, now that we arrived here, is if fine for you to come with us?]

Initially I had plans to check something in this area. This information came from an unknown source online,   
so there was no credibility it was true, I was probably the first one that will be verifying it. However,  
since this somehow was a small detour, the girls agreed to tag along, I was somewhat glad about that.

[Yea, don't worry.]

[Then I will gladly enjoy your companionship along the way, Wolf.]

She was definitely being a little formal about this. I didn't know much about Maremoda,   
but that sounds like a place that girl would like. I wonder if I could find something useful there too...

[Wait a second, someone is over there in the bushes.  
Who are those guys? They don't look very pleasant.]

Titania was right, there was certainly two guys hiding in a bush over there. Those where not berry pickers,  
they looked like bandits waiting for someone to pass by. We were still far away from then, we couldn't hear them,  
though they also didn't notice us. I pointed my hand to the ground and the girls hid in the grass with me.

[Hey, Wolfie, what's the plan? Why don't we just talk with them?  
You don't think they would jump us and ask for money, don't you?  
We could totally kick their asses without breaking a sweat, right bruh?]

The knight's usual charm shined again, the tendency to charge at enemies as soon as she saw them.  
At least she was patient today, learning from her past mistakes I presume. Still, the current situation,  
we didn't knew who those guys where, what where they doing here and if there are any extras around.

[We stay and see what they do, then we can move.]

I said ever so calmly, knowing that they would not probably attack us. I carefully surveyed my surroundings again,  
there was no traps or anything dangerous. I could only faintly hear a voice from far away.   
It sounded like it was in the directions those crooks were looking. Thus, perhaps there was someone else there too.

[Okay, I told Darku not to teleport to us yet.  
I also told him to be ready at all times, because things might suddenly change.]

[Yea, Daki would ruin this cover if he teleported here.]

But at the same time, we were not making progress. The two hidden men were not moving any time soon either.  
This could take a lot of time, and I wasn't the most patient person in the world. I had to make a move soon,  
or my wild instincts would take over. Fortunately, it seems that their time was up; they moved out the bush and...

[Hey there, could you guys help? I think we go lost or something,  
could you tell us the fastest way to the nearest town? Pretty please?]

They started talking with two girls further in the distance, which were wearing white and red clothes.  
From this far I could only guess that they were cosplaying as shrine maidens or something. It is strange though,  
shrine maidens here? And why the bandits? Something was really fishy there, so I signalled my party to advance.

[They are to no good, let's move.]

Approached with us three, we attracted the attention of the crooks; they didn't look very pleased to meet us.  
The two cosplayers on the other hand were quite surprised and confused about what was happening before them.  
I didn't know what was going to happen next, so I watched closely for any signs of aggression. However...

[Hey there guys, having fun? I know what's fun,  
let's fight! I can take scum like you alone, come at me!]

[This is uncalled for, Tania. Those people were just trying to be nice,  
I believe. There is no need to be hostile now, but you had the right idea.]

[Right... you guys are scary, you know? We just wanted to ask about...]

As if someone would believe that guy who hid with a friend in a bush. They were clearly trying to leave,  
so in a way I think we accomplished what we wanted here. I had nothing to add, the girls handled this situation.

[Yes, there is this one town; you should follow the river down to the sea.  
Then you can follow the coastline to the south and you will reach it.]

[Sure, thanks... Good day to you then ladies, we be taking our leave.]

And with that, they left and were no longer a problem. You meet people like that sometimes,  
you just have to learn how to deal with them. Luckily that is not hard, as presented here.

[Hey... wasn't that north? Anyway I guess its fine either way.]

===

[Thank you dear adventures, thank you very much.]

[Yes, thank you... very much.]

The shaman girls thank us, each with bowing many times. I wonder what they were doing in a place like that.

[So, I wonder if we could have just take them on alone, but its fine either way right?]

[Yes... it's okay because we are strong.]

[Say, maybe we should introduce our selves first, right?  
I'm the older sister, Hinakon, but everyone call me just Hina.]

The older sister introduces herself. She had a fox accessory attached to her, fox whiskers on her cheeks,  
and fox ears on her head. What she was missing is a fox tail, but overall her voice matched her cutesy attire. 

[My salutations... this is indeed my twin sister, Hina.  
I'm the younger sister, Pina. You guessed... I'm a cat.]

Their twin resemblance was striking, they both were short; both had long black hair and miko outfits.   
The difference with Pina was that she had cat ears and whiskers instead of fox ones. She also had a yawning voice.

[Yes you are~ Now why don't you come here so I could reward for your bravery?]

Before we could react, with an alluring voice, the older sister called her sibling for a series of pettings.  
Using the purely affective, not sexual VR gesture, much like the gesture I saw yesterday at night,  
the two girls used both hands to pet each other's heads mutually. Somehow only WRose ended blushing.

[Sorry... we are sisters after all...   
at least I'm used to those things...  
In any case, what can we be of service for you?]

[This was... quite a spectacle for me. I understand the sentiment,  
but I'm not antiquated well with the VR technology, so please don't mind me.]

She was still a bit flushed; she couldn't keep up with what was happening to her lack of knowledge about technology.

[Yea, I saw this in an online video. It's really fine Rosie, don't blush.]

[On top of that, you know, those things we are wearing, *wiggle wiggle*  
in this game they are actually interactive. You can feel like a real fox girl!  
It's really amazing, you guys should try it sometime too, right Pina?]

[Yes... sister is best petter in this world...]

Anyway, we are getting off topic here. It seems that if I don't take over this conversation,  
we are going to be absorbed into something I would rather avoid. Thus, I exercised my lips and spoke.

[Besides that, what were you guys doing here?  
Do you have any idea who the other guys where?]

[Oh you want to know about that? That's very simple,  
me and my sister were trying to find a location to build a temple.]

[Yes... before we say more, do you guys know about Lunar?]

Lunar... that name certainly did ring a bell. However, if I were to choose, I would rather remain silent.  
This is because, I want to hear about what do those two know about Lunar. As for my party members,  
the girls also remained silent, they probably had no clue about who is Lunar. And so, the shaman girls spoke...

[Lunar is the moon goddess of this world. She blesses us with the moon's grace,  
shows us light in times of dark, smiling gently without saying a word. From time to time,  
she sets down on a night of full moon, and gives people a message. Maybe, during one night...]

[Yes... she is a very beautiful and kind woman that has also a very cute fanart,  
Usually... she in shown in with white hair long, wearing a white dress and a lunula.  
But, I love drawing her in a bunnysuit, although there is no official art...]

[Thus we decided to open a shrine and sell our merchandise to the world!  
I'm more of a 3d model person, but my sister covers the 2d. Her art is cute, go but it!]

Right... I think this was a good place to do business, but moreover, their information on Lunar was rather lacking.

[Lunar huh? This is the first time I hear about her. Could you tell me more?]

I decided that it would be best if inquire them more. I thought that they know something specific about her, but...

[Wow, a real god? She actually exists right? That’s quite cool!]

Titania interjected before letting the sisters speak.

[Yes, she is very much real, that’s what the Shrine Maidens would say.  
Though seriously, that's more or less what we know, she is a huge mystery.]

[Yes... she is elusive, but at least at this place...   
you can clearly see the moon's reflection during the night.  
That’s feels like a perfect spot for a shrine right?   
I knew it… My sister was right after all….]

That's about all that they could muster huh? Well, I was satisfied. I confirmed something I learned before,  
thus I was set to move towards the lake, my original destination. If that place actually had a connection to the moon...

[Right, we are going to check it out. You guys, thank you for the info.]

I waved at the two shaman girls and advanced towards my goal. WRose and Titania followed me, saying their goodbyes as well.

[Hey, come back any time! We should have a larger shrine here,   
and a smaller at the lake opened soon. You can friend us if you want a notification!]

[Be sure to buy a lot of merch... from our online shop...]

[Yes, I will be gladly give a look, thank you Hina and Pina.]

[Right right, you girls, good luck! And... just don't talk to strangers!]

And with that, we will hopefully reach our destination soon. About time too... I wonder what was Darku doing all this time?  
But then something else surfaced as well, the idea to share information with others about something too peculiar to be the truth.

===

The sun set and it turned night. We travelled for a while now, and fortunately we did manage not to get lost.  
Additionally, the moon light was bright; you could easily tell it was in full bloom. Just as we arrived near the lake,  
we saw yet another moon swimming on the surface. It was silent, not even the wind waved that image. It was of course, just a reflection.

[So what did you want to visit this place, Wolf?  
It... sure is beautiful here, silent yet charming...]

The small girl holding her dress down, squatted a little and touched the surface of the water, then reluctantly retracted arm,  
shaking it briefly. Her hand was retraced as soon it touched the cold water. The ripples left behind echoed reaching the moon eventually.  
Now the reflection waved, slightly getting deformed and returning to shape. There was also another sensation I felt...

[This must be the place... I can feel it.]

I reached into my inventory for a certain item, the one that was the cause of the sensation earlier.  
It was the Word, [Feather], which resounded at the same time the moon's reflection was affected.  
I placed it on the surface of the lake, not knowing what to do exactly, and waited to see if anything happens.

[Huh? I could tell that something was fishy about this moon,  
but why the Feather Wolf? How does that even make sense?]

[I'm not sure... It's just what I felt doing.]

And on top of that, why only I had noticed anything? Wasn't this strange to begin with? First the bird boss,  
that wasn't supposed to be in that dungeon. And now this lake and how it somehow connected to the [Feather].  
If I wasn't alone, I would be able to tell if this was just me or if this was caused by someone... or something.

[I trust Wolf... I think he knows what he is doing.]

[But but...! I mean this is so random.   
Should we too do the Feather thing with you Wolfie?]

I couldn't tell if that was a good idea or not, but as time moved by, the [Feather] did not.  
Thus I allowed them to try as well, thinking that something might be happening if I they do.

[Well fine, just ahead I guess.]

With my confirmation, both of the girls placed their [Feathers] on the surface of the lake. Still,  
nothing unusual happened. This was a problem; I had to figure what was I doing wrong.

[I'm sure there is a trick to this...]

[How about we push them towards the moon?  
It kinda looks like a boat or a lantern...  
Maybe we have to send it to the moon?]

[Like a festival for Miss Lunar? Ehehe~   
but I'm not wearing a yukata and everything.]

[That's not important, Titania.] 

But WRose was right; my [Feather] reacted to the moon being affected by the ripples,   
thus we should somehow try to move them towards the center of the lake.

[Okay, go! Look Wolf! It really does float like a small boat!]

The three of us pushed each one's [Feathers] and directed them into their new destination.  
Slowly, they swayed from side and side, leaving small waves as they moved. Their speed was gradually increasing,  
as if they were being drawn into by the current. As soon as they touched the moon's reflection...

[Look, something is happening! Wow, what is that?]

Our [Feathers] started to glow; they shined with a familiar, moon-like light. Swallowed the items we used,  
A small whirlpool appeared in middle, growing and gaining momentum by the second. I could only watch,  
hoping we would be able to somehow retrieved them. Others stood astonished as well, watching with vigilance.

[This looks dangerous, let's stay put and observe,   
we don't know what are we dealing with here at all.]

But as we did, the whirlpool only gained size. I was almost engulfing the entire lake now,   
we didn't know how to stop it. As things where now, I thought something dangerous would have happen, however...

[Look! It's opening!]

In the middle, just at the same stop were the moon was reflected, the water parted. It formed a small hole,  
that was only getting bigger and bigger. It was a scene that could not happen in reality, I couldn't believe it myself.  
However, as much as this was a festival for our eyes, our legs were shaken both by the view and by the sheer force.

[This... must be it. We have to jump!]

I said without thinking much of the consequences. I knew that if we didn't take the chance,   
a second one would not surface. I nodded to my companions, and they nodded back. We were doing this.

[Here goes nothing!]

[Fall damage don't be cruel!]

[Don't let go of my hand Wolf!]

And the three of us did a daring stunt, not knowing if we would survive or what awaited us down in the hole.


	4. Chapter 4

=== Chapter 4 [Hole]

I opened my eyes, finding myself in a dark place. The air was ominous and humid; I could only breathe ever so slightly.  
Above me, a faith glowing light that illuminated my footing. I was standing a deep cave, just a step away from the chasm.  
Not knowing how deep it went, I froze in place, carefully examining my surroundings. I didn't know where I was at all.

And then, something in my memory flashed. Just a few moments ago, I jumped down into a hole with my party members.  
Was I separated from then? I thought with a bit of gloom. Just recently, I found myself doing things I don't normally.  
I was a long time solo player but now after adventuring with other people, I started to miss them ever so slightly.

Suddenly, another light sparked in my vicinity, a brilliance of dancing lights that I knew well. Though it was calmly warm,  
I imminently recognized its source. It was a little girl that I met purely by a coincidence. Even though it was still quite dark,  
I could see her faint smile. That's all I could see. Was this the happiness I sought? Was this worth giving up freedom?

[Wolf, are you all right? We fallen down into this hole,  
I remember falling down after that thing happened...  
Anyway, it appears to be some kind of cave system.]

[Yea, it a cave aright, but I have no idea where we are either.]

Both WRose and Titania appeared to be safe and sound, I was glad to see them make it as well.  
However, in our current situation we should be careful about our footing. Thus before doing anything...

[Watch out, one wrong step and...]

[Ah, yes I should have a touch or something,  
It's more effective than using a skill.  
Let me look... oh there it is. I'm going to light this up.]

As WRose ignited her touch, we saw the bigger picture of where we were. Behind us,  
there was a depression that was quite deep. In front of us I saw several cave formations,  
paths and a small silent pond. Although, the rocks were damp and cold to touch, it looked like we had to climb up.

[Come on, we have to climb, there's a path there.]

I pointed with my finger; the others followed watching their footings as well.

[Ah! Do the cave rocks always must be this so cold and wet?  
I know this is just a game and you don't get actually tried from climbing,  
but come on! This just doesn’t feel right… Why would they do that?]

There is a reason for that; it is basically how this world works. When you touch something,  
when you take big damage, all those things happen naturally and are no forced by game mechanics.  
Thus, even if something is not feeling good, it is done on purpose. You just have to bear with it.

[Well... I don't mind this feature, climbing in VR actually does feel good.  
It is just that we might be doing it in a very unsuitable place.  
In any case... I have been wondering about this whole moon on the lake incident.]

[Right... I personally have no idea either, Wolfie how about you?]

Indeed I knew something they didn’t; it was information that is available only on certain parts of the internet.  
Additionally, I am not usually willing to share with people, but I thought that in this case it would not be a problem.  
The girls now where a part of this, and I couldn't keep them confused. Thus, although reluctantly, I spoke to them…

[Firstly, do you guys know how Synapse works?]

They shook their heads, they didn't know anything.

[So to explain briefly, when the device is operational, it sends the information to your brain.  
The signal itself is quantum coded, what that means is that even if you were to intercept it, you would not be able to read anything.  
Thus knowing what actually happens in the game is up to your imagination. For example...]

As we reached the top, I showed both of the girls the screenshots I took of the whirlpool earlier.  
WRose was shocked see that, Titania, on the other hand, was searching something, away from keyboard.

[There... is nothing there right? I'm not seeing things? But... why?]

[I assume it was Synapse that made us see things; it's the same thing as those "Ghost AIs"]

[Wait, "Ghost AIs"?]

The little girl asked curiously. My knowledge of them is limited, and it comes from anonymous sources.  
What "Ghost AIs" are, or how everyone calls then, are beings that live in this world. They act in mysterious ways,  
appearing before players and leaving them messages that no one was really able to understand. Furthermore...

Because several people did experience their influence, or at least claimed that they did, it was possible to give them identity.  
The most prominent of them are: Karma who punishes evil players, Ares who heats up conflicts between players,  
and the most mysterious of them all, Lunar who seems to come from the moon with an important message.

Because of their nature, they can't be screenshooted. The only documents of their existence are witness' reports.

[Yes, for example Lunar or Ares... that's what people call them.  
If you ever meet one, you are definitely going to know it was them.]

And then, Titania finally was back to the conversation.

[Wow, you guys are also glad that nowadays VR display can be turned off,  
without taking the whole thing down? I looked at the screens and…  
Well they show nothing, are they like broken or something?  
Anyway... can we leave this place? It is giving me the creeps.]

===

We advanced through the unknown caves, looking for even a small clue on where is the exit.  
The air was still ominous, as if someone was watching us the whole time. WRose also tried to contact Darku,  
but it seemed that something prevented the transmission. We might have been in an instance, or something.

[Teleport Stones do not seem to work either, I already tried mine before.  
Wolf, do you think if we logout, we will be put outside of here?]

[I don't know...]

But something told me that it was better not, because we would never know if we could ever go back.  
Thus, I decided to stay with the girls and kept moving forward. There was no point in further discussion.

[Though it is better that we stay, I think.]

[Right... who knows what kind of place this is.  
I think it might be a dungeon, but I honestly don't know.  
Tania, maybe you have an idea? I'm just asking out of curiosity.]

[Yes, I have no idea. But hey, don't worry Rosie,  
just stay behind by back. If you want I could hold your hand...]

Suddenly, before Titania could finish her sentence, there was a loud thud from further in the cave.  
The formation we entered was getting tighter and the celling was just right above my head.  
If we suffered a cave in now, we would likely get trapped. I'm not sure this was an event or...

[Hey, something is wrong! Everyone get ready.]

The knight took out her sword, and readied it to take a blow; I and WRose did the same,  
looking around us and awaiting signals from Titania. Concentrating our attention to the slightest of sounds,  
I had the feeling that there something in the dark there. If those were monsters, we were ready to take them on.

[Nothing here Tania, should we move slowly forward?]

Suddenly, before Titania could decide, the source of the sound became clearer. Above our heads,  
a swarm of bats swarmed through the cave's corridor. Following them, a few bigger and nastier looking,  
wall crawling bat monstrosities advanced at our position. In an instant we were surrounded, we had to act quickly.

[I take the big guys, you deal with the smaller ones!]

The tall girl shouted, as she charged towards the bigger bats. As for me, I had to protect WRose from harm.  
Fortunately, because the corridor was not as wide, I could hit all them at once. I dashed to the nearest one,  
spinning around with my Katana, hitting them all at once. WRose followed with her own AoE. We were doing fine.

On the other side, Titania tried to gather all her foes together, in order to damage them all at once.  
However, because of the ferociousness of the monster bats, she was pushed into a corner and had to play defensively.  
As soon as we finished here, I thought, we should be able to help her. Nonetheless, things didn't go as planned.

One more hidden adversary appeared from the shadow. It was a fast and deadly gargoyle that swiftly charged at the tank.  
Titania had to block its initial attack, and then teched its grab. Knowing so, she was able now to counterattack with her own.  
While performing her combo, I quickly dashed to assist. And even though we managed to kill it, Titania took too much damage.

[No, Tania! Hold on there.]

However that not the only surprise, there was another assassin gargoyle waiting for us, it charged at WRose.  
I had no choice, I was compelled to counter its dash with mine. Doing so, the monster and I meet in combat.  
But now, I had to deal with not doing that gargoyle, but all the monsters that Titania had aggroed.

It wasn't long before I was surrounded. Even if WRose supported me from a distance, the damage was not enough.  
After using my Backstep and Katana draw, I ran out of defensive cooldowns and had to take hits. I got staggered,  
took a few more painful hits in the face, got grabbed by the gargoyle, and then thrown onto the ground.

[No, not you too Wolf!]

WRose was the only one left; luckily she knew what to do. Instead for waiting the monsters go to into her range,  
she rushed to them, damaging them with her usual skills. Furthermore, when her gas Form’s duration was over,  
she instantly teleported away and continued attacking the enemies that where slowed by her Ice Cloak.

As soon as they closed her on her, she summoned a circle of energy that surrounded the monsters, trapping them inside.  
Afterwards, a huge brilliant beam erupted from her hands, taking down all of the weak bat monsters. One monster still remained.  
the Gargoyle rushed at WRose, aiming to finish her off. However, it stopped at the barrier she erected, hitting it again and again.

Soon the barrier fell, and the monster was free. All that time it took damage from WRose's beam.  
But now, she couldn't afford standing still, she had to intercept. Luckily for her, she had one important skill ready.  
She summoned a lighting that pierced through the monster, paralysing it in air. She continued her combo until...

[Okay... Tania, hold on I'm coming!]

The battle was over, the second gargoyle was the last one. With it out of the picture,  
WRose was able to recover me and Titania. I will admit, her skill have saved me yet again.

===

After that encounter, we healed up and moved forward. Fortunately, the exit was not far from where we did battle.  
There was an opening through which light came. As we approached closer, a beach coast entered our vision. Stepping outside of cave,  
the entrance behind it disappeared, as if it was a dungeon door. Furthermore, in the distance we saw…

[Hey! Look Wolf, this must be Maremoda! We made it!]

With excitement, the little girl jumped in the air. She was however intercepted and grabbed in the air.

[Hooray! All thanks to you Rosie!]

The two girls snuggled tightly, they both were quite happy we made it somehow. I looked at the city,  
a tall mountain that dominated the horizon was the first thing I saw. Before it, buildings in marine colours,  
stacked on one another like a set of very steep stairs. Below, a beach and few restaurants open to the public.

[Wow this is really amazing! It's really like I read about it.  
This city was created by the players entirely, its gathers traders and artists.  
On top of that, there are no other entrances that the one at the coast.]

So that means, if anyone would try siege this town, they would have a hard time. One, because it's narrow,  
second, because you are constantly forced to go up. Whoever thought of this location, they had to have that in mind.  
Usually the bigger cities in this world have to have massive defensive structures, this might be an exception.

[So what do you wanna do guys? I gotta do something,  
so I will leave you two lovebirds alone alright? See ya!]

[Right... see you later Tania!]

WRose waved at the knight who had to leave for some reason. She was visibly anticipating my company,  
shyly edging closer to my side. I replied her plead and took her by the hand and said in a calm voice...

[Hey, anywhere you want to go?]

She nodded and we where off. Passing the beach we climbed a round staircase and continued on a steep walkway.  
Entering deeper into the city, each street was filled with fashionable people; each corner was filled with many various shops.  
Everyone smiled, from the players to the AI controlled NPCs. WRose, albeit a little blushing, she smiled back at them.

I stayed calm and stoic, like a bodyguard or an older brother. I bet people looked at as we were a couple.  
WRose entered a store; it had a selection of various clothing for both men and women. Everything was really stylish,  
like things you would wear for an important dinner. The girl was looking for something specific, while I stayed outside.

[Here, Wolf could you try this muffler,  
since you can dye this item in any colour you like,  
I picked something that would be fitting for your outfit.]

Indeed, if I would wear this, instead of the fur on my coat, I would probably look a lot more handsome.  
But quite frankly, I don't think that would be any of use for me, since accessories in this game don't give stats.

[Yea... I think I will pass on it.]

With her head down disappointed, WRose took back the item to the shop. We visited several other places,  
and she asked me to try on other clothes, but they were too fancy for me. It wasn't simply my style.

[So Wolf, I can understand that you want to uphold a certain fashion sense,  
but I do think you would look good in this jacket. Why not trying it on?]

The girl's unconvinced voice reached me. I wasn't really a model or anything, but I liked the clothes I was wearing.  
They didn't give stats but at least they looked cool. I also asked WRose if she didn't want something. She answered...

[No, I just wanted to return the favour... remember the time we were shopping at the desert camp?  
I'm still wearing that hair band you picked for me, I was thinking of imbuing a word into it.]  
It's really cute don't you think? Anyway... just tell if you find something you like.]

[I don’t mind it... but there is a reason why I don't like shopping, you know.]

And it seemed that was the last time the little girl tried to give me as a present. I might be picky,  
but if there is no reason to pick fashion over stats. Despite what she says, this was what I thought.

[Hey Wolf... can you tell me if I did well during that fight?  
I was really worried we were all going to die, but in the end...]

She changed topics, probably because once she read that I wasn't interested in shopping,  
she thought a guy like me would be more interested in gameplay mechanics. The truth was, she was actually right.

[You did well WRose, in combat you can't really predict everything.]

But instead of cheering her up, she sulked and sank her head into the cotton cardigan she wore.

[So Wolf... for you, I'm just a player right?  
I'm sorry, I should have had thought that from the start.]

And then, without a word, WRose left somewhere, while I just stood there, deep in thought.  
I regrettably made a mistake, I thought, but I couldn't bring myself to fix it. The reason for that was...

===

So here is the situation. When I wanted to teleport to the party, WRose told me to not.  
After that, all three of them disappeared from being online, as in physically in the world.  
That could mean two things, they either entered a dungeon or they went offline.

Currently I saw them entering Maremoda, so I teleported there. I guess I will ask them there what happened.  
However, I know that people have different reasons to why they are playing this game, so I can't really force them.  
If they had a good reason to leave me behind I'm sure we can come to an understanding right? I sure hope so.

As soon as I materialized at the teleportation square at Maremoda’s beach, someone asked me a question.

[Hey, do you know a player called Wolf?  
If so, could you tell me where I could find him?]

A small boy kindly asked me a question. He was dressed in black, much like the Wolf I know, but had short pants instead of long ones.  
Concerning his question, I certainly did know a player named Wolf, but I didn’t know where he was currently. Thus I replied.

[No I don’t sorry.]

Without another word, the boy left. Who was that boy? Anyway, I looked around. There was a bunch of people everywhere,  
as always, but also a very particular scene attracted my attention. I spotted Titania sitting in a cafe with a guy.  
That must be her boyfriend or something. Without making fuss, I hid myself behind a wall and eavesdropped.

[Hey, Robie, what do you want? I would sure go for a chilled cake.  
I heard like they actually explode in your mouth or something!  
Man, the food in this game is great, don't you think so darling?]

[Of course, as long as my sweetheart craves it. Let me call a waitress.]

Yes, they were dating, and yes I was spying on them. The man was looking pretty well dressed,  
and luckily he was facing the other way. If anyone of the two would spot me it would be probably Titania.

[So anything interesting happened lately?]

[Nothing that I can say was interesting. I am starting a job,  
in real life that is. Above that, it was a pretty boring week.  
And how about you sweetheart? Did anything special happen?]

[Not especially, I'm still just a reserve at my club.  
The exams are around the corner and stuff... things are pretty sad.  
However, I have new friends online now; we did a dungeon and things.  
If anything I can hook you up if you want to tag along. They're solid.]

Oh, so they know each other in real life too? I don't mind another member, not that I'm the party leader anyway.  
She also said that they did a dungeon. That could explain why I couldn't reach them. If that's all then,  
I'm relieved. I should probably just go around and see others… but I kinda want to see what happens here as well.

[I will think about it sweetheart, but I will probably be busy.]

[That's fine right? You can come at any time, don't worry.]

After that there was a brief silence between them two, they were looking away from each other too.  
I had times like that with my girlfriend too, the ex girlfriend who wants to me to return to her side.  
In any case, the maid carrying their order made an overdramatic show, almost dropping it three times.

[Ehehe.... thanks for the wait... here's your order.]

Of course in VR you can't actually drop and spoil food. Things like that really do livens up your day though.

[Thank you! If we need anything then...]

[U... Understood.]

After pretending to be embarrassed that she almost failed at her job, the maid left them two alone.  
The two started digging into the frozen cake, exchanging their experiences. 

[Umm... this is quite goood!  
It's like eating ice cream and cake at the same time!  
Quite amazing, don't you think Robie?]

[Right... I agree, this is delicious sweetheart.]

But not sweeter than you sweetheart... is something you are supposed to say in a situation like this one, right?  
That's how I could tell from far away that this date wasn't going anywhere. Why do I ever care, I don't know.

[So hey, we should do something like this in real life too, darling.  
You know, I think we should meet more together more in general.  
I also think that things might not be perfect for us both, but we should try.]

Titania closed on the boy, gesturing with her spoon as she spoke. As she finished,  
she readjusted her sitting deeper into the chair, waiting for her boyfriend to reply.

[You see... as much as this is fun, I can't really do that.  
I want to create a future for us both, somehow, so please believe me.  
If I find some time I will let you know okay? It's just lately...]

[Yea I know things are hard... I'm really trying too, you know that.  
That's why I can understand that you are really working hard and all…  
But that's all you have been saying. Should I trust you this time as well?]

Titania stopped, as if she was trying to conceal her temper within. She was just slightly annoyed,  
at least that how she looked. For me, this was enough, I already know where this is going.

[If you do understand then... look sweetheart I'm sorry.  
Though, I talked with friends, about their relationships.  
They said that this is normal, that online thing stuff kinda happens.  
When I get my first payment we will go somewhere, don’t worry.]

I looked away and left. I could bear to watch this anymore. In fact, it reminded of my previous relationship.  
Perhaps if I were to go back in time and fix things... but that was impossible now. I'm sorry my love.

===

Pitter-patter... a small girl was travelling down the road. She carried a small item in her hands.  
Click-clack... her tiny boots made a sound echoing against the walls, as she climbed the lonely stairs down.  
Tap-tap-tap, the sound resonated with increasing frequency. Where was the girl running to and what was she thinking?

[Hey, Rosie, why the said face there?  
Oh... I see, something happened at your date too?  
That thing you are carrying? I guess he didn’t want it?  
Don't worry, men are like that, they come around in time.]

The little girl watched with silent eyes as the tall knight tried to comfort her. She did not reply,  
nor did she made a move after turning towards her companion. Was she scared to say anything?  
Or perhaps she couldn't understand what was her friend saying? Without the little girl taking action...

[Like in Wolf's case, he might be a bastard, but he is a good guy, I know it.  
So if you like him, and I assume you do, you must be the one who’s in control.  
Take me for example; I'm tanking that relation, both online and in real life.]

But the white wearing girl didn't absorb those words as an advice. Instead her fist clenched, putting the item back into her inventory.  
She became frustrated, unable to put her anger into action. Instead, to mollify it she clutched her tightly cardigan, speaking… 

[I'm fine... Wolf is someone that... won't change that easily.  
So I have been wondering... Tania, do you think Wolf would accept a gift,  
if I imbued it with a word? I am not sure how to do it, so I thought I would...]

[Yea that won't work, you can't trade imbued accessories.  
Sorry, but if you really want to give him a present how about...]

Before her friend finished her sentence, the pink haired girl raised her other, unclenched palm. That was enough for her.  
The blond hair girl, concerned about her friend, moved closer and looked directly at her green eyes.  
They were trying to avoid contact, to ignore this confrontation. They also carried a sliver of doubt.

[First of all, I do appreciate the thought Tania, I really do...  
But allow me to say, you might not understand the whole situation here.  
Because of that, I want you to leave me alone... I don’t think anyone can…]

The tiny wizard girl, who became more and more emotionally drained, could not release her inner feelings.  
There was something in her eyes now, some liquid that was forming. Even this was only a video game,  
were those tears actually real? Why was she sadden this much? Noticing the tears, without thinking the little girl’s friend snuggled her.

[But I told you... I don't say that because I feel you can't help me,  
I just know you can't help me *sob* Therefore, it is better this way...  
Please trust me on this *sob* There is definitely no better way *sob*...]

[Hey, don't you cry... for example, today I got in fight with my boyfriend,  
but I know in the end things will change for better right? I will be there for you.  
And most of all, Rosie, A cute girl like that should cry right?]

But instead of calming the girl who cried, it made her push the knight girl away. It was a gentle push,  
one that wouldn't made her trip. Not explaining her behaviour she ran away. The other girl didn't chance her,  
she knew that at this stage she wasn't able to understand her. Does anyone know what the girl was thinking?

[Gosh dang it, that girl... what was on her mind anyway?] 

There is one person that does, only person in the world. Yes, that person is me, because I'm that little girl.


	5. Chapter 5

=== Chapter 5 [Distance]

[So did you hear? They said on the news that a new war will erupt.  
At this point everyone fears that a nuclear conflict might be a possibility.]

[You mean in the real world or in the virtual world?  
Whichever it is, it was not the first warning in the history you know?]

I passed by carefree two girls who were doing inventory work at their shop. They were talking about something serious,  
though they didn’t seem to have a serious tone at all. In fact, it sounded like they were merely gossiping.  
Making conflict an insignificant issue isn’t going to solve it, and I speak from experience. Anyway, here comes Titania.

[Hey Daki how is it going? I haven't seen you around since...  
well some time now I guess? Oh yea, sorry I was busy and all.]

And the first thing she does is giving me a brief hug, before speaking. In any case,  
it seems that she doesn't know that I was watching, it might be safe to play to cool for the moment.

[Say Titania, what were you guys doing? I got a message from WRose and then nothing...  
Afterwards, I was trying to contact you but to no avail. Did something happen?]

I already knew they probably went into a dungeon; I just wanted to learn more.

[So here is what happened. We went to a far away lake on a mountain; I can show you where later.  
Then we meet two bandits who we chased away. They were trying to be overly-friendly with two shaman girls.  
Those girls were trying to open a shrine for Lunar, which actually was just a shop... but you know Lunar, right?]

[Yea, I heard about those "Ghost AIs" or gods or whatever from a friend.]

[So hear me out here... Wolf knew about them too. He was like... This lake is suspicious.  
Then he puts his [Feather] on the surface, pushes it to the moon reflection and opens a portal or something.  
We jumped into that portal and went into a dungeon. Unfortunately, it just a shortcut to here.]

That sounds like a thing that Wolf would do. I am also not sure how exactly dungeons work in this game,  
but in general you should be able to open a portal anywhere on the map. Why the lake then?

[I seem to be missing something here... this supposed to be normal way to open a dungeon right?  
But why a dungeon that is just a shortcut, it doesn't make sense right? Something feels odd.]

[You betcha! That is what I was thinking too.  
Wolf said it was the Synapse thing that caused it,  
I wanted to make a screenshot, but oh well, it didn't work.]

If my memory serves me right, those things usually happen when you encounter a "Ghost AI".  
This makes all sense now, why they forgot to invite me and why Wolf would want to check it out.

[Okay, I think I understand now.  
Thank you Titania, you were helpful as always.]

[Yea but that's not all that happened before you returned. There was also...  
well I shouldn't be saying this but I think you should know.]

She leaned towards me; I was pushed against the wall on the street. Though no one else was watching,  
I would prefer those things to happen somewhere without people. Anyhow, she casually started whispering to my ear.

[What do you think about WRose and Wolf? They are obviously lovey-dovey right?]

[I have seen them making that kind of conversations, but your point is?]

[So I met Rosie on the street, she was like wobbling back and forward aimlessly.  
She was like completely dejected and sulking. I wanted to talk, like to cheer her up or something,  
but she said like no, I don't need your help, I'm fine alone. What the hell happened with her and Wolf?]

I don't think you should ask questions to people who were not involved Titania, but I got your message there.  
Evidently she was just trying to unload her frustrations, maybe because of the date, or because she couldn't help her.  
Whichever was the case, asking me how to resolve problems isn't the best of ideas, I can't even deal with my own.

[I don't know Titania, but I will keep that information to myself. Say,  
I might not be the best person, but if you need an advice what to do then...]

[Well obviously we should confront Wolfie about it. That's the best solution right?]

[No, that's the worst solution; please don't say anything to Wolf yet.  
You should just give both of them time, I mean if they are really in a relationship,  
then you shouldn't be telling them how they should be doing it right? Or something...]

Okay, I might have said it, but that alone seemed to be enough. Titania, allowing me to breathe again,  
moved away and gave out a sigh. I hope she was satisfied with an answer like that,  
because I personally don't think that solves anything; the situation would just repeat again.

[Hey, you're a cool guy Daki, I will tell you something. Do you know how to tell if you are talking to a girl in VR?  
You ask the person how far they can bend down their head. If they say they can't do it all the way,  
it's obviously because their device is touching their boobs. Boobs are amazing, aight they? Ehehe~]

I see… that might be clever but if that is a thing I will be sure not to ask people to do it.  
On the other hand I can understand now why Titania always hugs me when she meets me...

===

Days that passed one after another were hardly interesting or profitable. We bounced from one dungeon to the other,  
but we couldn't finish them all. Our party was in disarray, I noticed, especially WRose. When I tried to talk to her,  
she would turn her head away and speak no words. Others were just a little concentrated; I had no idea why...

[Hey, I think we should go hunting there today.]

I picked a location which was quite far away from the town; there was a logical reason to that. Recently,  
the war broke out between the two largest guilds on the server. What that meant was that nowhere was safe,  
everywhere you looked was either a battlefield to be or ruins of people's houses. The war engulfed all.

Normally when you pk a player, you can only take a portion of their loot, that is also the matter with storage boxes.  
However, in case of a war situation, Ares can grant players a special buff that would increase how much loot you could pilfer.  
It was both a temptation, to join one of the sides, and a curse for players without the ability to defend themselves.

Anyone could become the target; no one was safe from the ever growing ambition of the clashing guilds.  
In towns with giant walls; siege weapons were build and gathered. Those would serve for the final battle.  
Materials were gathered from the nearby gathering grounds, which were an easy prey for guerrilla tactics.

[Hey, Wolfie there is no way the goons are here as well right?  
I mean we aren't even here for anything but hunting,  
so they have no reason to bother us... but I will be ready just in case.]

Titania reassured us just in case. I don't think anyone was taking their time slowly here.  
We were at a plain, surrounded by trees in the middle of nowhere. It would be bad luck if we were found here.  
Continuing our search for monsters, WRose, Titania, I and Darku were trying to find some tracks when...

[Well, this is a pleasant surprise, I wouldn't expect to someone to be here as well.]

I recognized that voice; those were the people that wanted to jump on the shrine maiden girls a while ago.  
They were not alone; they had several friends who came out of the forest. They didn't look like they wanted to fight,  
but I wasn't sure if they were a part of the war or not. I had to be vigilant about their every move.

[Oh yea, you are the guys from earlier? Did you make it to Maremoda?]

[Yea we did somehow, I mean you gave us the wrong direction but we figured it out in the end.  
Don't worry guys, we are not here to fight, we are just looking for something to hunt, that's all.]

[Oh... I'm extremely sorry I caused you trouble!]

WRose bowed deeply, apologizing for her mistake, even though I would say it was on purpose. Putting that aside,  
it was hard for me decipher whenever those guys were telling the truth or not. They kept their distance from us;  
there was five or more of them. If they really intended to simply find a hunting ground, this was a problem for us as well.

[Well, we did come here first, but I'm sure there are plenty of monsters for everyone.  
By the way, on your way here, have you seen anyone? You can never be enough careful...]

[Yea I'm sure we didn't find any of the armies so you can calm down,  
this guy here has contacts in one of them, so he would have know, right?]

[That... might be a problem actually.]

Darku spoke as if he foresaw something bad was about to happen at any moment. He unfortunately was right,  
from the tree line, far away from our position, came a company, about twenty men strong. That was worrying.

[Hey, talking about death flags, that guy probably knew about this.  
We can't do much now, so everyone just keep calm, I can talk this out.]

Even if he wanted to calm everyone down in this situation, the drow himself was a little bit shaken.  
If I recall, he had contacts in TSA, he would be able to deal with them, I hoped. The other guys,  
me and my party was standing still, while Darku took the imitative to talk with the company.

[Hey guys, are you from Anti-TSA? I can tell from the emblem.  
If you guys are here to hunt, we can leave, we don't want any trouble.]

[Hey, who are you? Obviously there no mobs here no more,  
cuz someone did clean this place up. How unlucky.]

The crook brandished a sack filled to the brim with presumably materials from monsters. It was them who cleared this place.

[But you're wrong, we be just looking for them donators.]

[I see... but isn't this zone out of the war zone?  
I can contact your officer, G1, if you want me to confirm that.]

[Don't worry, we be not good at listening to orders anyway,  
we just joined this guild for fun and all. Wanna join too?]

While they were having this not too pleasant of a conversation, I noticed that their supports moved to the back.  
This could only mean one thing; they were preparing to charge at us frontally. There was still time to run but...

[You guys stay put, all of you.]

I said to everyone, to my party and the other guys who were not running away.  
I felt like this is going to be an uneven fight, but one that I wouldn't want to run away from.  
Not only I wanted to protect my friends, the other guys clearly deserved some beating.

[Hey you there, Wolf guy? I recall someone saying that they been ninja looted by a guy dressed like you,  
is that true? I hate to say it but I dislike bandits who betray their companions the most.  
In fact, you all look like bandits. It would be a relief for someone if we dealt with you, so sorry but...]

A taller man, dressed in heavy armour pointed his hand me, signalling others to attack.  
Some of them had houses, which they just mounted, and the only one who had a mount on our side...  
That is why I couldn't simply tell others to run away, I was forced into a fight with mine and the other party.

===

The first thing I noticed was their lack of communication, they were not moving as a unit,  
rather only the fastest outlaws rode houses were in position to attack. Those were mainly Tanks and Rogues,  
I thought, but their composition was mixed. If anything, we would benefit from attacking the healers first.

[Pick a target and focus fire.]

I shouted without thinking much what else to say, time was of the essence after all. Firstly,  
I looked at the other party to see if they were on the same page. I nodded at them and they nodded back,  
that was a good sign. With our mutual understanding established, we waited for them to give us room to attack.

It would be very unlikely to win if we attacked first, they had a size advantage. Additionally,  
their leader, the one that gave the signal to attack was not the part of the initial charge.  
I had two choices, either I would try to reach that guy alone, or I would deal with the mounted units first.

[Here they come, behind me!]

Titania, with her sword in position to block, stood firmly in front of them, anticipating the enemy dash attacks.  
Two of the enemy Rogues came in, each trying to instantly deal damage and Backstep away.  
This was their way of getting us to counter attack. But I wasn't as stupid, I knew that we shouldn't pursuit.

WRose was channelling a spell, even before the mounted units were in range to dash. This could mean one thing,  
she wanted to use an heavy hitting spell right at the start. But there was more to it, and I think she noticed that too.  
Their unity was lacing, they couldn't coordinate their position with the rest of the company. Therefore we could...

[Block for her, not me.]

I told the knight, pointing at the Wizard who was charging her skill. In this state she would be an easy target,  
we had to defend her at all cost. Meanwhile, the cavalry who was already in range, dismounted and made their ranged attacks.  
No one from that group wanted to risk coming close; they couldn't even trust their own comrades. Our party on the other hand,

[Hey, I told you we don't want to fight.]

Darku, who was by my side, set up a bunch of traps that would be effective is they rushed in. Unfortunately,  
only his Arrow Trap could hit enemies at range, he himself had to attack as well if he was to deal any damage.  
Splitting away from our main party, he shot a few arrows, flanking them from the side. He had the range to kite.

Meanwhile, we had to deal with enemy projectiles who kept on increasing by the second. I moved to the side,  
using my Hasty Step to draw some of them away from others. At the same time, the Priest of the other party,  
ran to our Wizard and intercepted incoming projectiles for her. This gave WRose the chance to initiate our attack.

[It's ready! I hope it hits.]

A Giant flaming boulder crashed at the enemy attack force. Some of them blocked the damage but some did not.  
Knowing so, we had our chance to strike at full force. Without waiting for others, I dashed at the nearest crook,  
going for the most damaging skills first. Titania and Darku joined me at the attack, and we downed one of them.

At the same time, the other party was charging through the enemy from the other flank. They downed two or more players,  
pushing through the rest that was left divided. Some tried to fight back, others were running, but it was we who had the advantage.  
Within seconds, thanks to meteors, our heavy hitters and our momentum, the enemy's initial attack was held back.

However, we only really had time to deal with the initial wave; there was plenty of other bandits coming.  
In my eyes, we would be probably able to destroy them as well, but I was mistaken. It was the other party,  
them knowing that any more fighting would be dangerous, decided to retreat without giving us a notice.

[Wait! We can do this!]

I waved and shouted at them, but they clearly didn't see a reason to stay. With mounted units out of commission,  
they could simply just run away into the woods. This however, also forced us to do the same. It was a pity but...

[Okay, we have no choice, Run!]

I called for my own party members, who were already thinking about retreating. However, I knew this could be a problem,  
a problem with our slowest member, Titania. She didn't have the speed to escape, as a Tank. I didn't worry for other,  
they had the run speed to escape. Thus, I taken out my bike and hit the petal to the metal, grabbing the Knight on my way.

[Wolf! What about others?]

[They be fine, we better run in different directions!]

===

[I think this is enough, we might get lost if we run any further.  
Darku, are you sure others are okay? I wouldn't mind checking on them, hold on...]

I escaped to the deep parts of a thick forest, Wolf and Titania ran the other way.  
Our only commutation method with them is friend messages, and they seem to be fine.  
Reassured about that, looked around for an elevated place that would serve as a lookout point.

[Quite frankly, I think the two can handle themselves just fine.  
Say, WRose, is your stamina fine? I could try to forage for food around here.]

[It's fine, I'm not that hungry... I mean my stamina is fine for now.]

And after saying those words, she went silent. Slowly we walked through the forest's foliage,  
no one seem to live in these parts, probably because for some reason you can't teleport to here.  
The more we delved deeper, the darker it became. Eventually, a thick fog shrouded our surroundings.

Where was I going anyway? Our pursuers would have surely given up the chase by now,  
there was no reason to walk any further. But for some reason, we both wanted to push forward.  
I probably knew my reason, but what was hers? Was I allowed to ask, especially after talking with Titania?

I said... "Give them both time" but I also thought "This isn't the solution".  
Which one was it? Should I intervene or stay away from this? Thinking so in silence...

[Hey, Darku... why are you so silent? Don't you think we did enough walking already?  
We should be heading back. Regrettably, we can't teleport from here,  
so let's just leave the same way we entered. It should be that way, right?]

[Yea that should be the way to go back... but at the same time,  
since we didn't really hunt anything, wouldn't that be a waste?]

[Huh... what do you mean? I am not certain whenever there are monsters here.]

This was my mind speaking. When I looked at WRose, who has just a tiny bit away from me,  
I could only see her faint outline. She appeared to me as she was further than normal,  
even if she was right beside me. What I was seeing was not her, but a reflection of...

[I'm not talking about monsters today, it's... well it's hard to explain,  
but you wouldn't want to hear out the story either. It is quite a sad one too...]

Hesitantly, I admitted to having a problem. Yes, I can't really let go of my past,  
even if I try it keeps coming back. The image of the joyful past, she was there,  
a little girl who smiled at me, a little girl whom I played with every day and night.

[If you are like that, Darku, I can't force you right?  
I just thought that at least... I could be a help for you...]

But I don't want to return to this, I don't want to connect to another person,  
just to see us both disconnect from each other after we both get bored. I wanted something...  
I knew WRose was a possibility, unlike Titania, but did I really want to start a new relationship?

[Listen... I will tell you something that I think should be your answer. I talked with Titania,  
you can probably guess about what as well. This might not be the solution, but I want you to simply listen.]

No longer could I take it, yea I'm like that. Whenever I get stressed out,  
I need to unload my troubles onto the other person, exactly like my ex did with me.  
I thought I really did change, but this game is forcing me back to that state... 

[When you try to understand different people, they always use their individual view.  
In reality, it might be completely different from what they act, different from what they say.  
But that is how people are, unfortunately. Also, I'm sorry if I'm the first one to...]

[No it's fine... that alone I understand...  
I'm just a player to him... he said that I'm...]

[It's complicated, I know, but Wolf is also trying, I'm sure of it.]

And as I finished those words, we entered a small grove, leaving the thick dusty fog behind.  
The sun illuminated the wild foliage ahead of us, in their center daffodils were growing.

[But consider this, it doesn't matter who you are for others.  
They can call you a bandit; they can call you a friend,  
what matters is what you are for yourself. That alone, you can change.  
That alone is yours only, so do not ever lose your sight from it.]

===

[Thank you Darku, I think... those words gave me courage I needed...]

I did something again; I made the little girl cry. But those were not the tears of sorrow,  
rather there was happiness in them. WRose hugged me tightly, and I returned the gesture with my own.  
It was comfortably warm for us both, but too intimate to me. Still, I was happy that at least that helped.

[I... will be going now, Thank you again.]

She dropped a curtsey towards me, and teleported away. It appears that in this location was fine,  
but as soon as I wanted to return to town... I received a message from an old friend.

[Unit Darku, this unit requests an immediate meeting. Importance level one.  
This unit will await for your arrival at any convenient location unit Darku will pick.]

[Yea, I think I know what this is about. I will just tell him to meet me at Maremoda.]

Thus I teleported there and awaited for his arrival. It wasn't long until the robot...

[Greeting and salutations unit Darku. Did you consider this unit’s intentions already?]

[Yea I figured you wanted me to confirm their names and locations. Here there are,  
I took a couple of screenshots so you would be able to analyze the data easily.]

[Very well done, I shall initiate the program... collating data... match found.  
Adding matched units to the blacklist... compilation complete. Transmitting...  
Thank you for your cooperation, the blackened will be having a tough life now.]

Which means that they will be hunted both by the TSO and Anti-TSO. What an interesting life that would be...  
I on the other hand, I had enough fun today I think... I got myself involved into something I shouldn't again.

[This unit was to take its leave after performing duty,  
however different circumstances were discovered. Unit Darku,  
I strongly suggest we engage into a conversation this moment.]

Huh... I didn't noticed that, but my legs and hands were shaking unconsciously,  
and that was the signal Gee picked... how embarrassing. I guess there is no use running now.

[Yea G1, how nice of you to be noticing that.  
I will tell you what this is about, of course.  
You are my friend and all; I know I can trust you.]

[Acceptable, this unit will await further input.]

I was a bit shy to speak like in public, so we quickly changed our position,  
went a few steps up, and escaped to a garden park of some sorts.  
It was empty, and the view below was pretty good. You could see the entire beach.

[So, I talked with a girl today, she clearly had a problem, but I had no idea what it was.  
How the conversation ended... well she cried but she was happy. My point here is,  
is it really okay to try to help others when you can't even deal with your own problems?]

Gee, as a funny as he sometimes is, really took his time with the answer, making beeping noises in between.

[People have different facades, people act differently in certain situations.  
If they always were themselves, would that World be acceptable? Between the two alternatives,  
it is better to interact with people having some rules, rather than completely without any.]

[Yea... those are some nice words you assembled. Distance is definitely something important.  
Sometimes when you want to get closer it actually hurts the other person more than it helps.]

[Those words were not manufactured by this unit, they are from unit Darku's archive.  
Is it really worth giving away your past? This unit says no,  
finding useful calculation data within those archives.]

Oh... now that I think about this again, they certainly did sound familiar at first...  
Who the hell I was before and who I am now? To which side I'm gravitating towards now?

[Regrettably, the time has come for this unit to leave.  
Advice, Unit Darku should continue connecting the past to the present.]

And with that, Gee was called to a meeting I guess? Seriously, I didn't support this war.  
The reason for that was that both Gee and Xyl are forced to fight each other as enemies.  
Xyl is the leader of TSA while Gee is an officer in Anti-TSA. They are both friends though...

That is why I left TSA; as soon as I learned they were going to war with Anti-TSA. If I was to stay,  
Gee would have become my enemy... I know, we are friends and all, but there was another reason.  
I was weighted by the gravity of my friends, friends that I saw as something that kept me from changing.

But... now that I look at this beach from afar, at the people who I played games with...  
I think... that returning to a world like this wasn't that bad of an idea...  
At least, I can count on friends that will support me, at friends who will help me escape this gravity.


	6. Chapter 6

=== Chapter 6 [Rain]

The wind blew my hair, it was sunny and the air was chilly. I walked towards the nearest trader,  
asking if they had anything to sell. Recently, I and my party gathered a lot of good dungeon loot,  
we just had to distribute it evenly. WRose, who changed her archetype to a Priest, also did help a lot.

[Hey hey, Wolfie, how's health? You smoke a lot you know?  
Do you smoke in real life too? I heard that you can quit easily if...]

Titania, who commented at my smoking habit in game, confronted me in front of the AI I was talking to.

[It's a habit, I'm fighting it.]

In truth whatever else I could say would be probably as not convincing as saying "I'm fighting it."  
The knight gave me a silent stare. She was probably thinking that I probably needed help badly.  
I averted my eyes, ignoring her intrusive nature and minded my own business. Unlucky for me...

[Okay, that's great. I was just trying to strike a conversation you, you know?  
Like I barely know about anything you, we barely know anything about you. All you do every day is…  
do dungeons, do hunting, do crafting, then log out. Hey, you have a life right?]

As rude and blunt as she was, Titania was making a point that I was not as friendly as the rest.  
I didn't have to be like the others, I was my own man, I had rules, and I enjoyed freedom the most.  
When you talk too much, you form connections with others, the way you play the game changes.

[Don't be rude. There is just no reason to talk like that.]

[Yea, there is always a reason to talk about stuff outside of the game stuff, you know?  
Duh, just because you can talk to other people about anything, online games are great, right?  
I mean, if everyone was just an npc or an AI or whatever, you be just playing this game alone.]

I don't see a reason why that would be a bad thing. Different people have different ways of playing the game,  
they have different expectations and goals that form as they progress through each level, each boss...  
For me, I had a very special reason to, something that I feared would be impossible to explain to others.

[That's fine too, everyone is different.]

[Ye I know right? You always were like a hero or something, especially riding on that bike.  
You also talk a lot about this game in general; you must be a real fan huh? Well okay,  
I might be exaggerating but I think heroes are people who can do what normal people can't.]

Titania, who was usually very carefree and easy-going, changed her expression to a more stoic one.  
The words she released didn't sound petty, she actually sounded earnest for the first time ever.  
They remained me of the time when WRose took me out for shopping. So in order to not make the same mistake twice…

[Right... heroes are pretty cool.]

[Yea I know right? I always thought that you were merely playing the cool guy’s role,  
but if that is how you really are, then sure. I'm sorry, I probably misjudged you.  
Then again, what's the deal with you and WRose? I was dying to know ever since I talked with her!]

And then, she reverted back to her old self, clenching her arms in air vigorously.  
From what I understand, Tanks are an archetype that uses a lot of grappling moves.  
By watching Titania play, I could confirm that during combat and outside of it...

[Sorry to burst your bubble, but nothing interesting had happened.]

[No no no, you tell me a story Wolf, you are a gentleman right?  
It's not that I need to know, but you just not giving a damn. Do you Wolf?]

She paused mid-sentence, as if she wanted to take back her angry words directed to me.  
Afterwards she waited for me to say something, but with her like that I chose not to speak.

[Yea... sorry, I was just in a trance there so just forget what I said. Sure thing wolf,  
you can do whatever you want, but at the same time if you don't encourage them,  
you will be just hurting their determination. People have to believe in something right?]

[More or less...]

The knight pushing her agenda, have also touched upon something that I did actually believed in.  
Perhaps we are not apart from each other after all, I thought, while finishing my trading business.

[I am done, are you shopping too? Tell others to be ready in an hour.]

[Oh yea, we will be doing that one dungeon again right?  
I believe they should be logging in pretty soon now.]

And with that, I went somewhere to check my inventory and see if I could upgrade anything.  
While getting your weapons stronger and stronger if enjoyable, monsters are also getting stronger,  
not just in raw numbers, but also in variety. I’m always required to adapt new strategies.

===

Recently, there was a big thing on the news, even the people here were talking about this.  
It seems that due an armed protest one of the countries that was facing war for a long time,  
its government was overthrown, and now that country is in chaos that engulfed many other countries.

Not only the neighbouring ones, but also the big powers in the world want to contain the war from spreading.  
This is worrying because many times before this has happened, and no one had a decisive answer for peace.  
Speakers in the media tell about the end of globalization and the return of nationalism for democratic countries.

As for me and my party, we have no connection to the issue; we were just people of this world.  
If there was a way to save that world, surely a hero would raise and fix the problem somehow.  
Right now, that wasn't possible. Right now, all four of us were going into the boss room.

[Okay are guys all ready?]

[We sure are, I think this time we will get this boss for sure!]

[I will sure hope so, Tania, we should have it down to the last phase.]

Knowing well our roles, not just from tactics but from experience as well, we entered through the portal.  
We found ourselves in a tower far in the cloudy sky; the outside of it was filled with dark stormy mass.  
The arena for this boss was a circle and four smaller circles placed on each cardinal direction.

In the middle, there was a giant floating air elemental, in the smaller circles small lighting towers.  
During the first phase we only had to focus on the boss, we didn't need to do anything else.

[Okay this is the easy part.]

Titania, as soon as the boss noticed us, charged at the boss with her giant sword in hand.  
She had to be careful not to take too much damage at the beginning of the fight,  
or that wouldn't be good for the rest of it. Luckily we had someone in case something happens.

[Here, have this just in case.]

A mystical energy sword appeared near the Tank, thanks to WRose's buff.  
This was only to ensure more damage was dealt,  
the defensive buffs still had to wait for their turn.

Titania was ready, and as she was in range, she used her Armor Pierce to increase the damage further.  
I was already dashing, and as the attacked finished I used my Vault. Before I was countered however,  
the Tank used her counter grab and thus initiating our combo. We had to strike fast and without holding back.

Darku, used his Arrow Trap, following with his volley and finishing it with net to extend combo.  
WRose on the other hand, not having many options to attack as a Priest, used a few of her skills,  
the Ice Spear who was shared due the staff weapon and Sun Light, which fired an enclosing light beam on the boss.

Afterwards, our party returned to a defence stance. I moved back, and used my only 2 ranged attacks.  
Our Priest who changed her Healing Touches, waited for the boss to strike at the Tank, before moving it.  
Its two massive hands went down into the ground, creating small circular wild tornadoes that roamed about.

[It's fine everyone, I will take it.]

The main asset of our party now, WRose, had an important role now. Using her Barrier ability, the Priest right click,  
she was able to destroy the boss’s tornadoes, that counted as projectiles. This didn't matter for me,  
since my ranged attacks was already on cooldown, but for Darku who didn't have to deal with them now.

With the threat cleared, WRose that waited for the right moment step in,  
was now clear to heal the Tank. She used all of her charges, all three of them.  
Now the Tank could block with a margin of error, before we would have a chance to attack again.

[Okay, phase one done guys.]

And so, repeating this process a couple of times, we managed to save our mana and entered the second phase.  
Now this is where it gets interesting. In the second phase the boss moves flies the air,  
becomes invincible against any attacks, and bullets fly from the four smaller outer circles.

While the boss swims through the air, it leaves a cloud of thunder that damages anyone who enters it.  
To make the boss hittable again, you have to use the lighting towers. To use the lighting towers,  
you have to invest your mana into it, mana that you don't get back until the end of the fight.

[Okay, you guys I'm ready.]

Everyone moved according to our plan, Titania was in the middle, while everyone else had one tower each.  
Before the bullets actually fired, we had some time to activate the towers before the next phase.  
Thus, with our timing, I, WRose and Darku each placed their hand onto the device. The next second... 

===

I could feel like lighting striking and surging through the entirety of my body. It was a shock experience,  
but I got used to it after trying this dungeon many times. With that done, the tower was filled with energy,  
that gushed out like fog into the air. From now on, we have to keep the boss in that fog, in order to weaken it.

Because we used three out of four towers, we had one spot that not covered by the fog. This was done on purpose,  
our Tank needed mana the most out of us. If we had her spend mana as well, she wouldn't be able to survive.  
The elemental and the bullets deal a fair amount of damage, and she needs to able to take it for all of us.

[Okay, stay on the other side and good luck!]

We have to split our forces, leaving Titania alone as she was trying to keep the boss away from her allies.  
With that in mind, we had to now stay close to WRose and evade incoming bullets. But that was not that easy,  
not only multiple light globes were our worry, but also lighting beams and tall hurricane cylinders.

Normally you can evade a bullet easily by jumping, however, due the fog you will get shocked if you do.  
This was however foreseen, as we left one corner fogless, allowing the three of us to safety jump there.  
But jumping alone wasn't enough; you also had to have space to land. Additionally, because of the homing cyclones...

[I'm fine Tania, just tell us when to attack!]

One archetype shined the most out of all in this fight, WRose, who had the skill to deal with them,  
periodically using her Barrier ability to eliminate the tornadoes. Additionally, she also had to keep tank healthy,  
moving in range to Titania. This was done by making the tank do a circular movement around the arena.

Doing so, the knight was able to reach the necessary distance for the Priest. Their timing was also excellent,  
every time WRose had the healing charges ready, Titania was right where she wanted her to be. However,  
additional obstacle was the stormy cloud that boss left when it moved. But there was a way to deal with it as well.

[This is going good, keep up the good work girls.]

Darku, who was as useless as me in this phase, watched as the girl dressed in white did the work for him.  
She used her skill, Dispel Magic, which caused the threatening cloud to disperse into nothing. Her hand waving,  
and with a strange gesture the danger for her was no more. She also did it just in time, by coincidence perhaps.

[Okay now!]

It was just a second later; the Boss was finally disrobed of his cloak of lighting, smashing to the ground.  
Now we can do some real damage. Knowing so, I quickly dashed and did our usual combination attack with Titania.  
She was low on mana, as well as we all probably, but this was where WRose would be able to help again.

From the ground beneath the two melee damage dealers a fountain of pure water was erected, restoring our spirit.  
With our powers being restored by the second, our party was eager to use all their attack at once. Surprisingly,  
the bullet density were not as high, we didn't have to worry about taking too much time while attack. And so...

[There we go, keep at it.]

With our efforts combined, the boss was once again took significant damage, and was forced to burst.  
I and Titania were pushed back by the blast power, but landed on the ground firmly. We had to move,  
back to formation and our positions. The battle was resumed, but now we faced different circumstances.

The boss was now in the air, instead of the ground. Because of the gas released from the towers,  
this was a problem. To grab the boss, Titania had to jump into the air, and then use her grappling skill.  
Doing so in the space where the gas was unwise, thus she had to pull the boss to our zone which was safe.

We waited for the cooldowns to come back, still being aware of the bullets. Somehow, the further into the battle,  
the more bullets would appear on the battlefield. That worried me, and possibly others too. We had to be quick,  
or soon we would not have enough space to move around. And so, when Titania returned to us with the boss...

[Okay guys, hop on.]

Darku, preparing his Spring Trap, beckoned us to move into its range. Doing so, we were all launched into the air.  
At the same time Titania jumped herself and used her air grab, striking her massive sword into the murky mass.  
With a mighty swing, ought to bring the boss into the ground, the attack connected, but the boss stayed in the air the whole time.

[This is is everyone! Time to finish it all.]

With all our might, and with how much mana we all had left, each one of us used their air skills,  
dealing significant damage to boss. A blow after a swing, shots, arrows and even magic bolts,  
the boss had no choice but to accept defeat and fell onto the ground. This was it, I thought...

===

However, I was mistaken; the boss didn't stop moving just yet. As for our previous attempts,  
we never got pass this point. With our bodies slowly falling to the ground, our faces speechless,  
we could only imagine what was going to happen from this point onwards. We had to be ready for anything.

[Watch closely and don't spread.]

I calmly articulated, to calmly assess the situation now. Would we be seeing new attacks, new mechanics,  
or something unpredictable? If we wouldn't be able to adapt quickly, we wouldn't be able to learn anything.

[Don't worry, I gonna block whatever it does.]

Said the knight, confident in her defensive abilities. Everyone else seemed to agree to that plan.  
We were to stay away, in one place and observe the situation before taking any action. But even so,  
the boss only moved to the middle, while the bullets still swarmed the place. Did we have the time to wait?

Suddenly, the boss's aura changed, a huge pillar of white energy fallen onto the elemental, illuminating its body.  
Following this light show, and after the light faded, the cloudy mass changed its colour from dark to white,  
as if it was purified by the light of gods. This was the thing we are going to fight now, I thought...

[It changed? So this is the third phase?]

Indeed it was. As soon as WRose spoke those words, the boss spun around, and gaining enormous speed,  
dashed through the battle ground, knocking every bullet away it passed. It happened so fast and sudden,  
no one out of my party members knew what exactly happened. Furthermore, the ground it passed through...

[This must be ice right?]

As Darku accurately assessed, part of the floor became covered with a chilly and slippery ice.  
It was evident that stepping on it might cause you to move slower, so no one tried stepping on it.  
But there was still more to come, more difficulties we had to overcome, and less time for us.

The boss, moving outside of the arena, dashed again, doing the same ice attack as from before.  
The ice floor speared. Furthermore, Titania, who blocked the attack, was now inside of that zone.  
Her body wasn't visually affected in a negative, only her foot work looked a little bit slower.

With that in mind, she was trying to move away from the ice beneath her. However,  
the boss, finished its rounds of dashing through the area, stood at the edge, gathering power.  
It sucked the air around it, creating a whirlpool of ice and hail. To our surprise its target was...

[Rosie, watch out!]

Titania, who stopped who the boss was aiming at, tried to warn WRose. But it was too late,  
a white beam fired from the boss, directly at the Priest girl. She panicked,  
and used one of her skills which brought forth a brilliant light around her. However...

It is safe to say that skill made her invincible, but not immune to pushing. Thus,  
without taking visibly any damage, she was flung away, and landed on the far edge of the arena.  
Furthermore, her hands were hanging from the ledge, unable to climb back on their own.

[Hey, someone! I think this counts as downed, I can't do anything!]

If that was indeed the case, we only had thirty seconds to save her from falling. I took my chances,  
and ran straight through the icy floor towards the maiden in distress. As expected, I was slowed by ice,  
but I didn't lose control of my footing. Meanwhile, Darku and Titania were trying to damage the boss.

[Hey, it just stands there...]

The drow observed, as it didn't make a move until I reached WRose. Timely, as if waiting for a good chance,  
the boss rushed towards the middle of the arena and started spinning again. I remember that from before,  
it was trying to dash through the floor again. However, at that time I was stuck with helping our Priest up.

It was unfortunate, but I was hit by a sneak attack, and landed in the same position as the girl.  
Darku, who was the next target tried to use his Spring Trap to jump over the boss, that plan also failed.  
Titania, who was the only one left. She alone won't be able to deal with the beams; this was over, I thought.

[I... can't... I have to do this!]

And when just everything turned to worse in seconds, just when we lost all hope that a miracle could occur,  
the gallant knight amazed us all. As the boss rushed towards her at a high speed, she jumped high in the air,  
and performed her air grapple with magnificent timing. She pierced the boss with her sword and brought it down to the floor.

There, she performed several additional attacks that must have cost her entire mana pool. Afterwards,  
the boss returned to the edge of the arena, amassing power for another attack. She was ready for it as well.  
She rushed at the boss with incredible speed, ignoring the bullets that hit her. This is where she wanted to be.

Thanks to the position, the beam that was released upon her did indeed push her, but not the whole way.  
Have she placed herself anywhere further from the boss, she would have been blown away, just like the rest of us.  
Furthermore, her position allowed her to return to the middle of the arena, which was the safest location from the bullets.

Time and again, blocking and healing in between, Titania managed to survive the bosses rush and beam attacks.  
It was as the time itself slower. With inhuman skill, she performed her execution perfectly and without any delay or hesitation.  
We were cheering for her, unable to do anything but watch. If she chose to save one of us, she would have shared our fate.

[Just die already!]

And after we spend a good amount of time hanging from the ledge, it was over. It was obviously more than thirty seconds,  
but no one was able to tell how much time actually had passed. As we returned to the ground, I saw a lone victor,  
Titania, in the middle of the arena. To congratulate for her magnificent victory, WRose ran towards her with joy sparkling in their eyes.

[You saved us all Tania, you are really our hero!]

===

It was indeed a feat fitting a true hero; even I had to admit it. However, there was more to this than the victory.

[Hey... what is this? Wolfie, you should know, you are the expert.]

Titania, checking the loot from the boss, picked up a particular item that looked like a snow globe.  
Inside of the crystal, there was a fire place surrounded by figures of children made from wooden straws.

[Is this a snow globe? Tania, how about shaking it?]

When the Knight shook the item, instead of snow falling down,  
there was a rain-like substance that ignited the fireplace.  
Afterwards the children dolls started to dance around it.

[Wow, this is really something. I remember having one of those,  
but in looks like a thing that you can't really make in real life.]

[Rain huh... I have no idea why is this called Rain, but an item is an item.  
On top of that, this boss was already hard enough, I'm glad we got a word from it.]

That reminds me... it reminds me of something very specific. The thought couldn't leave my brain,  
it was challenging me and my ego every second. If I could do something... there was only one way.

[Here, be sure to take one each, and whatever was left.  
I need to tell something important. Let's meet back at town.]

I said trying to keep my composure. I was in fact shaking my hands, knowing that what I was about to do,  
was going to change forever who I was and who they thought me to be. This [Rain] was the cause of it.

[Yea sure, let's meet at the town, I know just the right place as well.]

And with that, I kept my thought to myself until the very end... hesitating whenever to tell them or not.

...

It was still early, the sun was setting and the air felt nice. I sat down in the middle of a garden gazebo.  
The girls, Darku and I were all sitting next to a round table. They watched me closely as I took a deep breath.  
We all were secluded from the world; no one else was able to hear what I was about to disclosure then.

[So I will be blunt, I already saw this scene, the one inside the globe.]

I shook the globe a little, to show others clearly what I was talking about.  
They gazed at it deeply, not understanding any meaning behind my words.

[That being said, I didn't saw it in this world, it was in the other world that I meet her.]

I briefly paused, as the others made a surprised face. They already knew this was something strange.

[By her I mean I meet Lunar in the other world, the real world as you call it.  
I was walking back from a convenience store, and I saw a little girl, she was vaguely visible.  
But I didn't saw her body, I only saw her reflection. Isn't that a little bit strange?]

[And so? Wolfie are you implying you saw a ghost or something?]

[Not quite a ghost, but a "Ghost AI"; and that happened inside the other world.]

WRose exhaled her air all of the sudden. I couldn't tell if she was surprised or was suppressing herself from laughing.

[Yes, I'm being serious here. Do you guys remember the feather?  
We still have them in our inventory, I checked I have mine.]

And indeed, after everyone else checked, they still had theirs.

[So a funny thing about it, when I first met her, she was carrying the exact same item.  
Today, before I logged in, she was carrying the globe you see before me. What I'm saying is that...  
this is no coincidence, those two incidents are somehow connected. I don't know how but...]

As I said those words, everyone was looking at something else, at some kind of confirmation.  
Gazing back at their faces, I was too, desiring their affirmation. This story, even hard to believe,  
actually did happen to me. I kept it a secret up until now, but now I felt stupid for not revealing that sooner.

[Hey... Wolf, is that why you have been so difficult with us?  
I can understand; when you have to say something that no one will believe...  
Anyway, I think I can believe you, you have my trust. Therefore...]

WRose stood and bowed formally towards me, extending her tiny hand. Others then did the same.

[Yes, I don't think there is any problem with that,  
if anything Wolf, you should talk about things a little earlier.]

[I mean… you always liked talking with us about this world’s secrets.  
It's pretty clear now why, right? So those ancient humans and stuff...  
They might actually exist or something. With your help we’re gonna find the truth, right?]

After the three reached and joined their hands in the middle of the table, only my hand was missing.  
Why did they were that quick to put the trust to me? In any case, yes, WRose was correct.  
My goal in this world was to see if I see if it has connection with the other world. For that sake...

[Right... I'm sorry, but I’m not going to back away from now.]

I was running away, but now I found a place to stop. Reaching my hands towards them,  
we created a circle, with each of us holding each other’s hands. This was a strange feeling for me,  
as if someone was able to directly touch my soul. I felt like this was the special place I belonged to.

[Stop! Don't trust him!]

===

Suddenly, ruining an important moment for us all, a small boy dressed in black jumped out the hedge.

[Why would you trust someone so easily? Isn't this an obvious lie?  
How could you see something that has relation to a video game?  
Isn't this like a day dream or something? You should all wake up!]

He was obviously upset about something, and very rude. Well, I can only blame him for eavesdropping.  
On top of that, I didn't know what he knew. Perhaps there are other players, who did experience something,  
something that would change how you treat others. I had problems with giving my trust to people as well.

[Oh, you must be that boy who was searching for Wolf right?  
Then here he is. I'm sure that's all you wanted to say to us right?]

[In the end, it doesn't matter what I say to, it's you who needs to see through!]

Darku, althought with good intentions, made him stomp the ground angrily.  
Everyone stood up from their chair, looking at what exactly the boy wanted from us.

[You can call me Anti-Wolf, because I stand against everything he does.  
But not only that, I just hate people who put their trust into unknown.]

[Who said anyone was blindly trusting him? Hey little boy, listen well,  
I trust in Wolf because he is my friend, he might be even more than that!  
Of course he's crude and boorish, like a boy is, but the things he said so far made sense.  
I have no reason not to believe a friend, that's what friends are right?]

Titania, who was the first one to speak her opinion, acted rashly and confronted the boy up close.

[So you trust this guy, only because? There is no actual reason,  
you just think that without looking at the evidence, he is trustworthy?]

[On the contrary, the evidence lately has been supporting this theory.  
Thanks to the understanding of quantum technology,  
brain science was able to create a mostly accurate brain model.  
Comparing the input of a virtual and a real brain,  
scientists were able to determine that the brain is affected by exterior biochemical signals.  
Their source currently is however unknown, therefore you can't reject the possibility.]

Darku, who calmly explained the relation of my vision to the Morphic Fields theory, gave the boy another reason.

[So what he saw were signals his brain received from somewhere?  
Luckily, that theory is still just an assumption, not a fact,  
thus external brain communication sounds more like a thing from a fictional work.  
Is that where your belief originated, from something you read for your own amusement?]

[No... my belief comes from hope. It is a very thin and likely fragile thread,  
but if words were able to change the world in the past, then our times won't be different.  
Even the darkest and most twister lie, even something that seems impossible,  
even if you are alone, and no one is going to agree with you... without belief, you stop existing.]

Swallowed her saliva, and albeit holding onto her chest with one hand, WRose was also able to express herself.

[This is great! I mean all of you have your own reason, beyond doubt.  
But outside of it, your individualism shows. Wolf, listen to me well now.  
We can't both be right, one of us must be wrong. There is only way then, we duel!]

[Wait... what?]

I was surprised to hear what the boy was saying. He wasn't able to convince others, or myself,  
and yet now he wants to fight me. I guess he just might be frustrated about something.

[Yes, we duel! Here are my conditions. If I win, you will be compelled to show evidence.  
If I lose, you will be freed from my accusations. This is as simple as that, right?  
Don't tell me you want to run away, that you don't want to accept the truth huh?]

[The truth? What is that?]

Clearly he can't tell me what I saw, or how do I interpret it.

[For example your "Ghost AIs"... aren't they just GMs who are screwing around with you?  
And don't tell me that "Dev's don't play". That's just a bad meme and you know it!]

[Did you get karma'd?]

I trolled him back; he was now getting on my nerves. At this point a duel would be unavoidable. 

[Well then, if you are that eager to know, let's do it right here and now.]

He took out his weapon, Rapier and Dagger, which was very similar to mine. If anything,  
I would say that he copied me in everything, even fashion style. His behaviour was completely different though.  
I didn't want to fight, but I was forced to now unfortunately, thus I drew my weapon as well.

This was the place we would battle, in this small miniature garden that was on the roof.  
No space to do ranged attacks, nor that I expected any from the weapon he was carrying.  
The focus here clearly was on landing and connecting attacks by properly managing your space.

Should have I not upgraded my weapon; I would be worried about making even a single mistake.  
I was able to take hits, even if the Rogue class was supposed to deal damage rather than tank.  
Thus, waiting for what he had to offer, I calmly stood in one place, without a slip in concentration.

[Okay big guy... you are sure making me wait.]

As I predicted, he would first try to test me with his Magic Spike, but I easily just stepped away.  
However, as soon as I started moving, my opponent also did the same, and ran towards me.  
We traded Vaults, guns were blazing, but nothing that would bring the other into a stagger state.

The battle itself was a stalemate, whatever skill I was able to do, he was able to do it as well.  
Knowing so, both of us couldn't find an opening. If I were to win this duel, I had to take risks.

[Say, I can do what you can do, but can you combo out of a parry?]

This was true, his parry allowed him to continue his combo, unlike mine. But that I already knew,  
I think he was just testing me to see if I was to take his bait. Obviously, knowing how my parry works,  
he would perform a setup in which he would make me move forward, leaving me in a defenceless position.

However, if I were to make him think I am going to use it... that plan would be a major upset for him.

[Yea, come and try...]

He instantly moved close to me, expecting that I would reply with a parry move. But I knew better,  
his plan as not to attack me directly, but to bait my parry. As soon as he was in range to attack,  
he jumped in the air. I had to be quick about it now, and this was a pure gamble as well.

I used my Crescent Swing with S/A while he used his Fox Dive also with S/A. Both moves have armour,  
and both moves have similar animation duration. Thus we ended up hitting each other without a stagger.  
With this close, we both used out quickest skill and hit each at the same time. Flying in the opposite direction,  
he hit a wall, while I was still in stagger state, flying towards the ground. This meant that he would get up faster. 

As soon as he stood up, he instantly dashed at me, forcing me to pick an option for my wakeup.  
It was probably obvious now that my armoured moves are one fewer, I would have to pick the Backstep.  
However, I also did expect him to just attack me, without using any important skills or tricks.

Before he could realise, my gamble paid off. As quickly as I could I pressed two buttons,  
my dash button and my False Step. Naturally, that skill is reactable, you can see opponent's feet glowing.  
In this case however, even if you mashed, there was no time. My opponent fell for my trapped and got staggered.

[That's enough guys, come down.]

Suddenly Darku, who was watching just like the others, spoke to us.  
I decided not to initiate my combo, leaving my adversary free to do as he pleased.

[We won't solve anything with this, thus I think you guys should stop.  
I know you might be having fun and all, but there's no point... really.]

A little bit shaken, he continued to plead the aggression to stop.

[I see... With that I can't disagree. If you all made this decision,  
then the rest will be up to me. I shall return another time, thus I wish you all well.]

Saying so, the boy surrounded his duel, and left, just as fast as he appeared.  
What was strange was that he said he will come back... for me this mirror was boring.


	7. Chapter 7

=== Chapter 7 [Band]

It was hot outside, not only due war taking its tall, but also in temperature.  
I, WRose and Titania were sitting on a blanket, in the beach area of Maremoda.  
More or less it was our usual pattern, but then we overheard a conversation.

[Hey hey, did you read the news today? It seems they are trying that again.]

[But that don't you mean... the Net Neutrality thing?]

[Yea, it's been like on and off for years now. They should just give it up already.]

[I know right? Each time I really get worried but the end it the people's votes come through.  
Also I have been wondering about it lately... was there more or less votes each year?]

[I have... no idea actually. I wonder how one would check that...]

I wouldn't know either; I'm more into science than humanities. If I were to say anything,  
I heard people talking more and more about the real world, even more than the virtual one.  
It's strange how we also, albeit in a very strange and unpredictable fashion, were affected.

[So did you guys think about Wolf said about “that”? It can't escape my mind that we live in such a world...  
In any case, I betcha that little boy knew something too, right? It can't be all coincidence, right?]

As usual, we had our morning hello and how-are-ya, before Wolf would actually login. He probably has work,  
I thought, but then again we didn't know a lot about him. That's fine with me though,  
I had friends who didn't talk about real life a lot, and it was better not speak about it with them.

[To think about it, Tania, it was probably unlikely circumstances that we met at all.  
I mean... I might be probably over-thinking things again, but I... I'm really glad to have...]

To have met you all, is what WRose was trying to say, with wiping her tear from her eye.  
Not being the best to talk person myself, I'm glad that at least she feels that way too.  
Although I will never know for sure what she is thinking, I wonder if she still likes Wolf?

[Of course we are friends, WRose. You can always talk to me about anything,  
even the smallest worry would be fine. Maybe I won't be able to fully help you,  
but you can help yourself more than you think... that's what I at least I believe in...]

Saying so, I also really meant it. I know from my experience, if you don't hold onto something,  
if you don't even your trust your friends, you are just going anchor yourself within a cycle of regret.  
Becoming nothing but a person who repeats their protocol each day... that's what I fear the most.

[Hey, guys this kinda got serious all of the sudden right? Just chill...  
we shouldn't be so down when there are so many things to look forward for right?]

Titania said so, but she didn't really have a good read on the current mood. In truth,  
me and WRose was looking at somewhere else, at the people who were talking about real world stuff.  
We were both concerned, about ourselves and the future of our world. That's what I could tell at least.

[Those sad faces of yours... really guys?  
Something like that shouldn't really matter,  
you have to push forward, that's the only answer!]

At point we turned our faces at each other. Sitting down on the blanket, in the seiza position,  
in front of me there was a little girl wearing white. Her green eyes, albeit a little dry now,  
was looking to me as if I had the answer. The same look as my ex was giving me, when she was troubled...

[What I'm saying is that... well we should all like do something for fun!]

Saying so, the blond haired girl stood up and raised her hand energetically, cheering us up.  
Yea, I do agree with her, she might be right about us just being lost in thought and sulking.  
A little bit of fun from time to time... should be fine right? I mean other than hunting monsters...

[Yes, Tania, I will gladly listen to your suggestion.]

Bowing, still in her sitting position, the girl besides me acknowledged the notion.

[Right, how about... I heard there is a lot of things people created in with world,  
like actual entertainment things, apart from restaurants and shops that is. Hey,  
since we are already at the beach, how about we play beach ball or something?]

She was indeed correct, people of this world created their own games and shows, so I have heard.  
If anything I think it would be kinda similar to the VR games I used to play, there was a lot of them.

[That does sound fun Titania, kinda like old times too.  
Sure, I agree, we should at least try some of the stuff.  
If anything, it would be something else than the usual, which is always nice.]

[That's the spirit Daki! Although you are a guy, we could have like all-girl outing!  
Wouldn't that be great huh? We are going to wear swimsuit and all, just like a vacation!]

I do seem to have said one thing too many, but that's okay. I used to have different avatars,  
both male and female in the VR games I used to play. I don't mind roleplaying either.

[Swimsuits... okay Tania, but I think I would need to find one that is fitting for me first...  
It might take time... so I guess I will meet you at this place again? I will be looking forward...]

Albeit a little fretted at the idea, WRose also wanted to participate. That also reminds me,  
I should be looking for a swimsuit as well. Maybe I should ask Titania for advice about that...

[Yea, we can totally buy our swimsuits together Rosie, don't worry about that.]

[No... I'm fine alone. I will be meeting your all later...]

Saying so, the white wearing girl left, leaving me and Titania behind. I wanted to chase after her but...

[Hey Daki, you said that it’s better to her matters to herself right? Maybe she’s meeting friends or something...  
I mean I'm going to invite my boyfriend too, so you are going to help me get a swimsuit right?  
Don't worry, we are both girls so it's okay right? Ehehe~ come here for a gurl hug!]

And so once again I was caught in the arms of my older sister Titania. I hope my other sister is okay...

===

Sway-sway, the wind blows slowly, gently touching the white pedal skirt with flowery design.  
Chirp-chirp, the little bird that gathered on the roof, tickled the innocent ears with their song.  
Shh-shh, the hot sand beneath quietly polished the tiny shoes as they tread through the beach. 

The little girl, alone, was about to go on an adventure without a clear destination or purpose.  
Every time she would have hear those words, every time someone tried to convince her otherwise,  
there was only pain in her brittle chest. If there was only person who could help her, who he was?

There was a door, there was a window display and there was dressed mannequin in a one-piece swimwear.  
It's curves, plainly discernible and emphasized, were emblazoning a perfect hourglass figure on hips,  
on the low neckline on a fully developed chest, and on the rounded and stiff rump. This was a swimsuit shop.

[Welcome miss, what can we do for you on this fine day?]

Startled by the sudden greeting of the clerk, the petite curious lass took a small step back at first,  
but then remembered something that was once said to her: "Things can change for the better" and  
"Only you can change who you actually are". Those words in particular felt precious to her.

For a single step back, the white miss maiden took two steps forward, as if pushed by an invisible hand.  
She played a Priest now, not the Wizard archetype. That was her decision, and if she was to take it back...  
Well, things would return to how they were, to days were nothing at all actually was precious for her.

With her newly gained courage, with her newly found hope and a promise that everything is within her minuscule fingers,  
not within the hand of others, she firmly grips the hand railing and step by step climbs the staircase.  
Even though, it was only three steps, it probably felt like a thousand for her fragile body and mind.

[Good day to you, I would like to buy a swimsuit for myself.  
I'm... looking for something simple, not too showy but conformable.  
And... well if it would be okay... I would also want to ask for your opinion.]

[Certainly, I shall give you miss our selection right here, on this pamphlet.  
You are free to choose any design and colour in our dressing rooms over there.]

A large selection of various types of swimsuits, accessories and flip-flops were laid bare.  
Left and right brimming with colourful designs and flexible material, the selection was enormous.  
It amazed the white wearing girl, as if she could spend all of her time trying each and everyone.

However, she wouldn't be able to take them all to her home, she had to set for the one that fits her most.  
What would be her choice in the end? Would she be satisfied with what she brought? Was she perhaps…  
embarrassed how others would react to the extent that she wouldn’t be able make a selection at all? 

However, those things were not what the girl was thinking. Gawkily she entered the dressing room, a mirror was to her face.  
In the reflection, a tiny lady was looking at her, making a similar expression. She traced her finger on the glass,  
and then on herself. They were both wearing the same swimsuit she bought from the display. But they were different.

[This is... I should be able to change the settings if I touch it.]

However, touching it was painful for her little fingers. With each flick, with each drag and drop,  
the girl felt as she was not touching the reflection, but her unclothed skin. Pulling her straps up,  
adjusting and stretching her behind, the swimsuit undoubtedly fit the avatar that was there...

[This is... are I really doing this?]

The basic one piece she brought had options for customization, various designs and colours,  
you were able to pick freely, and that was just this one model. The freedom of selection was impressive.  
On the other side of the mirror, the girl stood with her foot uneasy and her face down embarrassed.

[This is... I can change everything... but my body?]

After a minute of self-adjustment, the fretted girl left the dressing room, with her clothes returning to normal.  
She didn't want to make a purchase just yet, she didn't want to become the image she saw in the mirror.  
Was she not confident in herself? Was she lacking the encouragement from her friend? No... that was not the case.

Fluff-fluff, the clouds were dancing in the far distance, giving shade to the city that was exhausted from the heat.  
Swish-swish, the waves collided with the coast, leaving a white bubbling foam that quickly disappeared in the sand.  
Sway-Sway, the bloomed flowers waved silently in the distance, knowing naught about the troubles of developing.

When is going to be your time to bloom, little girl? Will you ever become a flower yourself?  
Even if you bloom once per moon, all it takes one night. Come oh night, and grant my wish...

===

[Heya, you must be... that girl who were interested in animal ears right?  
I'm Hina, nice to meet you again. Say... I have not yet heard your name.]

[Yes... in a sense... I was looking for a swimsuit but I...  
Well let's say was overwhelmed by the selection of the boutiques around there...  
I mean, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet! I'm WRose, It's a pleasure.]

The little girl, albeit being in a state of trance, awoke from her stupor thanks to the fox girl.  
In fact, the fox girl herself was wearing her usual outfit today, an orange yukata with a hair piece.  
She was quite the attentive little beast, who was able not only to stop by the girl sitting alone on a staircase,  
but also had remembered their previous meeting. Both girls grasped each other's hands in a greeting.

[Say, is Rose fine then? I shouldn't be asking this, but I have seen you in town lately,  
did you move in or something? Hey, I can show you around if you want, I know a lot of...]

[It's fine really, we just ended up returning to this place often,  
we kinda made this town our base of operations. However, today we are a party...]

[A beach party? That's really cool! I always love those kind of things,  
you know... smashing the watermelon for no good reason *Giggle*.]

Their girlly talk lasted a little after that, discussing various topics on how to spend time on the beach.  
Both were smiling and enjoying their time with each other. However, then something have changed the mood.

[Say, when you think about beach, the first thing that in your mind... must be swimsuits right?  
I must say that in Maremoda there is not a single person who would say otherwise. *Wiggle wigggle*]

[Yes... I can imagine that would the case. When I think about the beach...  
I just want to relax, buried in the sand. That's fine too, right?]

But the Japanese looking girl didn't bite that bait, rather looking concerned grabbed the other's girl hand,  
and pulled her up to a standing position. At that moment the white wearing girl released a small ahh from her lungs.  
With her entire body heating up, she felt as if her entirety was lifted, as if she was put under the shaman girl’s sorcery. 

[Hey, don't be so down just because you didn't find what you wanted right away.  
Here, I can show you around. Fashion for a girl is like water for a fish. *wink wink*  
A Fish can't live without water, hence the name Maremoda which means ocean fashion.] 

Both girls were now holding hands, and though even a little sluggish, moved up the stairs. The steps of the shyer one was slower,  
stumbling occasionally as they were running through the alley. To know this maze-like town, you had to be its resident.

[Here, this is what I have been thinking for you, there is a lot of cutesy designs here.  
Also, don't worry about the price, you might be thinking its a rip-off but I get you a discount.]

[Right... it is certainly like you say, all the models are little...  
Yea I can understand why you would take me to this place now.]

Indeed, as both of the girls were of the shorter kind, it was obvious now.  
There was also a particular air in the shop itself, a scent of purity.  
Everything was either in bright colours or had a cutesy design with frills.

[I know right? I was dumbfounded when I first discovered this place too,  
it's amazing right? Hey, let me try something on you first, then tell me if you like it.]

It was the same situation as the girl was before, but now she was the model. The fox girl,  
running back and forward, carried the clothes for the other to try on, the other girl in the dressing room.  
Because of the curtains, only the little girl herself could see what she was wearing. Unfortunately...

[This is cute and all... but I'm not sure about this midriff. It's a little...  
revealing so to speak. Could you find me something with more coverage?]

[Ha, I'm not asking you to wear a micro or something, this is fine.  
Come on, you gotta show it to me first. I'm doing the work here, you know?]

The girl knew that was true, she was just sitting in the changing room without showing off to the other girl.  
It was unfair that for the helper, she wasn't getting anything from it. Thus albeit reluctantly,  
the lass slowly opened the curtain, desperately holding onto it and still hiding half of her body.

[Hey, don't be shy here, it's just a changing room.  
I can't actually see you naked, or anything. *giggle*]

The fox girl with surprising dexterity, pulled the curtain from the other's girl hand.

[Oh I see, this looks fine and all, but doesn't fit your hair style.  
Unfortunately, I don't think you can do anything but buy a sun hat for that.]

The petite girl covered her parts, while fidgeting slightly. Even with the calming words from before,  
she felt naked on the outside. Was this really so embarrassing for her that she could stand still?

[Yea... I sure need a big one... Um...  
Well I think... that one... or maybe...]

The shy girl, losing her grip on her lips, leaked broken words left and right.  
It was as if her lungs were cluttered with things that was there for a long time.

[I see... I'm sorry, I seem to understand the problem now.  
You are just a little shy about your own body, right?  
I could tell from the start but... I won’t say anything further okay?]

The fragile miss stood still, her hands lost motion, her green eyes lost brightness,  
her breathing stopped. It was as if she became a doll, like a mannequin from the display.

[Right, sorry... If there is anything I could...]

[No... you are right... let me explain.]

Only her mouth was moving mechanically, up and down, just like a mouth of a puppet.  
Her delicate hands were trembling, but they was stabilized by the fox girl,  
who squatted down and gripped the anxious girl by her wrist firmly.

[I met a boy in this game, he was really pretty and I wanted him to make him my man.  
I walked around him, did dungeon and talked, but no matter what, he just saw me as a player.  
In that situation I would have normally given up, but there is a reason to why I’m still with him.]

So he could make me into his girl.

[It’s because a friend told me that no matter what others say, it is important who you think you are.  
Thanks to that, I realized was that I never really truly wanted to change him, but to change myself.  
As long as he accepts me as a girl I would become happy, that’s the dependency I had established for myself.]

But even then, you can't go against the truth, you can only create a lie within yourself.

[Hey, you want my advice right?  
Rose, I'm honestly at a loss here,  
but considering your swimsuit problem,  
I can at least help you fix that right?]

The girl nodded, and without tension, sat down on the chair in the dressing room.  
The other girl released her clutching, and slowly stood up, retracting her hands.  
Even thought that created distance between the two, the yukata wearing girl wanted to be of help.

[It doesn't matter what your body type, your height,  
how much makeup you wear, or how big your boobs are,  
If you let others tell you who you are and what you like,  
if you don't choose for yourself, others will choose for you.  
That's why you can't decide on your own swimsuit, I think...  
In any case, now that you feel better, want to try picking something by yourself?]

Even if its wrong, even if you have to go against the world, if you don't choose for yourself,  
you are going to lose your own identity. Without the confidence to wear your own clothes,  
your own skin, you won't be able to express yourself, leading to misunderstandings. So from here on now...

[Hey this look cute right? I think this might go with that...  
Yea what do you think about this look? Is it cute or what?]

[Yea totally, Rose! You look so stylish and cute I would totally date you!  
By the way, I won’t tell anyone you are using a voice changer *wink*.]

The fox girl expressed with a little mischievous smile, making the other girl blush a little.

[Sure… it’s not a voice changer though…]

[Right right, ehehe~ *pet pet*]

For the first time timid girl smiled truly, even after being petted and pampered like a little girl.

===

[So here is the situation guys, I met with Hina during shopping and she said that...  
Well apparently she wants us to do something, so I think there might be a change of plans.]

WRose returning with successfully from her shopping trip, started talking about her plan.  
Wolf also logged in quite recently, he confirmed he had trunks so he was okay.  
As for me and Titania, we also brought our swimsuits, and met up with her boyfriend. Everyone was ready.

[With the help of the devs, Hina said she was a part of a project they were trying to program into the game,  
namely swimming. Currently, they are testing if whenever they could recreate the experience with Synapse.  
However... to do that they need volunteers to see how well they can adjust it. Coincidently, that's not all...]

Swimming in VR does sound interesting, albeit difficult to recreate. I was looking forward to it,  
when suddenly Hina, who was almost the same size as WRose, appeared from behind of her.

[Today you guys are going to visit the test site of our Mermaid city theme park! *clap clap*  
Meaning that swimsuits are a must, although they don't need to actually be functional and all.  
What matters is, you should lay down on something very soft and relax. That's what devs told me.]

[Wow, actually swimming in VR? Mermaid city? That sounds a lot of fun really.]

Titania, who exploded her excitement, almost hit me with her hands.  
Luckily, I evaded just in time, that comes from experience as well.

[No, no actual swimming! If you go to a bathtub it's only going to be worse!  
A bed is fine. If you feel that it's too rigid, just bring extra pillows.  
Okay then, are you guys ready for our school trip? I'm going to open the portal.]

And with a step into Hina's portal, we found ourselves in a tiny room full of lockers.  
The fact she said school was quite fitting, because this place felt a little bit nostalgic.

[This is the changing room, the devs made it so it wouldn't be awkward.  
In any case, please go and change, I will be waiting outside for you all.]

Thus, leaving our party alone, we all went to the changing rooms.  
Even though were segmented by gender there was no reason to do that.  
That is because changing clothes had a certain, quite convenient, animation that...

[Hey daki, hurry up and show your swimsuit to WRose!  
I bet she’s been waiting for that all day, right?]

Even though Titania said so, I could see that the girl in question wasn't even looking in my direction.  
Instead went to one of the lockers and initiated the changing animation. A curtain enveloped her and then...  
She appeared before us wearing a old fashioned bottom with a unzipped parka and a straw hat. All had light coloured flowery design.

[Look good, WRose! I like the hat the most.]

We also changed into our swimsuits. Titania's choice was a purple and pastel yellow halter top with matching bottoms,  
and a small white cloth that was tied around her waist. She also wore a shellfish hair band for her ponytail.

[I appreciate the compliment Tania, it was mostly Hina who suggested it.]

As for myself, I was wearing a white bandeau one piece,  
although I would have been okay with something that had shorts.  
The problem was that Titania argued against it so I was had to comply.

[Hey, you don't look too shabby yourself Darku. You really don't mind playing a girl huh?  
Anyway, thanks to me, you look pretty cute. Just tell me if you want to do girly shopping again.]

Titania giggled as she turned towards the exit. It was a good moment now,  
to lay down on the bed as Hina mentioned. I just hope that everyone had controllers,  
or else it would be quite difficult to control your character. Anyway, the door...

[Welcome to Mermaid city! *waggle waggle* This is only temporary,  
but we can't really have AIs here at the moment, so I will be your guide.]

[Right... *waggle waggle* A very merry welcome from the Mermaid girls...]

We entered an entire world that was submerged into the ocean. No glass or air bubbles,  
we were completely underwater and able to breathe normally. On top of that, I felt like floating,  
like something gently holding the weight of my body. Even if I played a lot VR games, this was a first for me.

[Wow! This actually feels like swimming! I'm floating and everything!  
When you move your hand or leg, you actually feel resistance too!]

They say you shouldn't eat before going into the water, but even if I didn't, I felt like there were butterflies in my stomach...  
Well it is really strange and all, but I eventually got used to it. I'm really glad technology has evolved this much.

[So sweetheart, this is the sea right?]

Wolf and Roberto, aka Titania's boyfriend, were here too now.  
Wolf, not surprisingly was wearing just trunks, Roberto had a rash guard.

[This is... quite amazing, don't you think Wolf?]

[Yea... I guess so.]

The two love birds there said those words to each other. As for me…  
well I could say I didn't find myself in a quite favourable position.

[Everyone, thanks for coming again, I need however to tell you a few things now.  
At the current development, testing and stuff, there is a boundary you can't swim past.  
However, the devs also asked us what kind of things we are expecting to do underwater.]

[It was her idea to make... mermaid outfits *wiggle wiggle*. You can feel like a real fish now.]

[Also by we I mean a lot of people who did their work here. Please look over there.]

In the nearby vicinity, between an underwater ravine, there was something like a theme park.  
Various stalls, shops, lamps and shell-like benches were hanging from moss like ropes that stretched between each wall.  
The park clearly took advantage from the 3d space, quite impressive from a technical standpoint.

[This is Mermaid city, the reason why you are all here today. It looks amazing doesn't it?  
We have an octopus ferris wheel, a reef themed escape room, A hounded ghost ship full of surprises,  
a gayer powered slide, underwater hot springs, and we are also building a zorb ball roller coaster.]

[Yea... my favourite attraction is the sea food... I can't enjoy being a mermaid on an empty stomach...]

[That's right, my sister only helps here,  
but if you guys want to turn into mermaids too...  
I can arrange something maybe?]

People were not exactly sure what that would entail, my guess was working here?

[In any case, can we go now?]

Titania impatiently got of her leash. She was responded with a nod, and then we were off to different directions.

===

Of course, I was the odd man out, I wanted to ask Hina or Pina to tag along as well but...

[Sorry, we only greet visitors here, and by that I mean we have other stuff to do.]

[Yea... other stuff that might or might not involve... petting.]

It didn't work out. I also tried to ask others if they were willing to go as a ground...  
But before I was able to catch anyone, they all left. Quite frankly, theme parks are not fun alone.

[Hey... I said I wanna go to the ghost ship, were you listening?]

By pure coincidence, I heard a voice of a girl from quite far away.  
I also guess that they didn't yet program the voice to work differently underwater.

[Yes, sweetheart, you said maybe we can go to the ghost ship after this,  
but you also said, we should go check the ferris wheel next before we entered the escape room.]

That sounds quite puzzling indeed, even my old girlfriend wouldn't be this fickle.  
In any case, it seems that I will be tagging along this time as well.

[Oh my god, have I really said that? Well sorry then,  
but I still wanna go to the ghost house. How about you?]

[It's fine, just don't be too scared and jump into my arms.  
If you hold jump you are going to fly into the air and that might teleport you.]

[Haha... very funny. If you jump, I hope you hit the ceiling.]

They were doing very well in fact, I was surprised really. Rather than a quarrel,  
it sounded like a very much civilized joke, they were smiling and all.

[Okay, I guess I'm going to get the tickets, even if they are free now.]

Suddenly, as Roberto left her girlfriend alone, she turned her head towards me.

[Hey there gurl, how is your date? By that I mean, sure I don't mind you behind us,  
but don't do anything funny okay? I'm not mad; just want to talk with him about something.]

[Right, I will be around. Also touche...]

You are right Titania, I didn't bring my boyfriend today, and by boyfriend I mean...  
Well let's just say that my partner is quite busy lately and we don't have time for each other.

[He's coming back, go hide or something.]

Whispering, the blond girl pushed me away and now I was hiding behind a food stall.

[Here are the tickets sweetheart. Let's go, I don't know how much time I have still until...]

[Yea, don't worry about that, take a day off or something.]

Shrugged, the boy took Titania by her hand and they entered the ghost ship. It was quite a big one,  
and tall. However, I didn't need to enter it myself, as I could hear their voices from outside clearly.  
That is probably why this was still a test area, but that also allowed to eavesdrop on their conversation...

[So you are saying that being a hero is something you dream about?  
You are certainly quite brave fighting all the ghosts and sea creates here,  
but I think you are taking this too seriously sweetheart, this is just an attraction.]

[No, you are wrong! I do this exactly because this is an attraction; this is how I have fun.  
Like there are all those dangers lurking and only you can defend your loved and save the world!  
Maybe... leave out saving the world, but more or less this is fun! You should try it yourself, darling.]

[Like stand in front of someone, kick open doors and attack every single moving thing?]

Yea... he is might, that sounds a little bit violent, maybe she could calm down a little?  
In any case, I should assume she also wanted me to hear those words... from pity perhaps?

[Heroes are like people who can do what others can't, that is why I want to become one.  
You know me, I'm not good at pretty much everything, even if try. But that's all I do,  
and it frustrates me. You understand that right? Why I wish I was... someone special...]

[Hey, don't cry now. I already promised I am going to protect us both.  
Even if things are not always like you want them, I'm there for you sweetheart.]

And there was silence after that... I do understand what he was trying to say, but there is another problem.  
When you consider the feelings of another, you can't literally say “I'm going to fix problems for you”.  
Now I kinda understand why Titania asked me to do this... she felt the same like I did with my ex.

===

Sitting alone on the bench, a man in his trunks only, the well renown Wolf, who actually had fans.

[Hey Wolf, are you having fun? Do you know where WRose went?]

Say so, I was trying to be as sarcastic as I could be. The obvious cue was that I wasn't having any fun myself,  
but it also couldn't be helped. In any case, there was still something important we had to talk with Wolf.

[Sorry for waiting... oh Darku is here too? I'm sorry we are doing this to you...]

[But it's fine, I walked around and found something to do.]

Without a certain tone in my voice I replied, and as soon as I did, one more person visited us.

[Well, Robie had to leave, he has work tomorrow... But anyway guys!  
From now, we can all enjoy our time together right? It that okay Wolf?]

[Sure... I don't usually have fun like this.]

[That's fine, I wanted to talk about something we discussed this morning,  
and you should be a part of it. Are you all okay if I spoke about that to Wolf?]

Just as WRose suggested that we talked about it, everyone faces grew more serious.  
We all knew what it was, looking at each other, and then nodded to confirm our intentions.  
Above was there was a small lamp post that had a sea create who shrouded us in circle of light.

[So listen to this... today I received a message from Lunar in the other world. By that I mean,  
when I woke up there was a single ring on my door. As I opened it, a piece of paper flew into my hands.  
It was a picture of us, looking at the whirlpool who was on the lake. The same situation from before...]

I recall that Titania was talking about this, but I don't know why someone would...

[It must have been Lunar, right Wolf? Only we saw it,  
and even we took out screenshots... She would know right?]

[Yes, there is no doubt.]

[Then, as for me, I also received a message like this, it was in my locket at school.]

Wolf was thinking for a while, and I was as well. I just had to confirm one thing...

[Hey, about this moon thing, can you tell me what was on the screenshots you took?]

[The screenshots we took showed just the moon reflection, the one we received had the whirlpool.  
If I recall correctly, Wolf said that was Synapse who made us see that, but now I'm not sure...]

[Perhaps you are right WRose, but this is going a little far. My idea would be that Lunar,  
who wants to particularly contact us for a certain reason, wants to tell us something very important.  
You know how at the same time when the war in the other world started, there was an outbreak here as well?]

You don't think that... But that was not only me, others jaws also dropped.

[Yes, thank to Lunar, we might be the only ones that actually see that the two worlds are connected...]


	8. Chapter 8

=== Chapter 8 [Ashes]

It was night and moon showed itself once more on the starless sky. I was meditating alone,  
far from civilization in a shrine that was just recently erected here. Even from far away,  
I could feel the ocean breeze gently caressing my face, but my mind somewhere completely different.

Recently I have been wondering about a few things, like how this world is connected with the other,  
why did Lunar attempt to talk to us, not only in this but the other world as well, and about one more thing...  
If the words we received are connected to Lunar, what is their meaning? Words that can create existence...

If so, one could have anything their wished; anything they knew and understood would become reality.  
Having such powers, and yet not being able to prevent the disaster that befallen the earth in ancient times...  
And yet, not doing anything up until now... no we don't have a clue if they did nothing at all.

[My reflection... sitting still on lake. Above my head, the Moon.]

The very same Moon and lake where the whirlpool appeared for me and the two girls was before me.  
I doubted it because it was such a coincidence, because how it perfectly fitted into an image of a dream.  
But it wasn't my dream alone, and due my comrades I have realised it wasn't a fabrication of my mind.

I sit here, praying and waiting for something to happen, something to confirm my doubts once again.  
If there is a reason behind all of this, if there is one single thing I want to believe in,  
I choose to trust my own instinct, and it tells me that the answer is within the grasp.

[If I could only... reach out for the Moon.]

Suddenly, something on the surface has changed, as if something was taking shape in the air.  
The wind was gathering, blowing and whistling with an eerie tone. The space around me,  
the vision before me, and the darkness behind me, all of them merged into one single entity.

[You must be the one I called?]

As I spoke those words, I already felt her presence. My mind was clear, without perturbations,  
without noise, without distortions. There was not a single thing in this space that was blemished.  
The most beautiful, the inmost boundary, the space that was my alone, the world inside my head.

[The way you are, shapeless and without light. Your existence is a mystery to every human,  
but your influence is transparent. If there is really a reason why did you choose me and others,  
if only a single sign would show us the way from this darkness... I beseech you, come forth to existence.]

Since the ancient times, words have power to create. Thus with this word, I give birth to you, [Lunar].

Before me, light bending wind, formed a shape that I could recognize instantly. It was truly her,  
a white haired woman, dressed in a white robe, carrying an egg-shaped moon in her hands, lunula on her chest.  
She was slightly floating over the lake, without moving, creating tiny ripples on the surface of the moon.

[You are... Lunar? Are you really... her?]

[Yes Wolf, I have been watching children of the earth for a long time and guiding them.]

She spoke in an echoing voice that was both gentle and caring. Her tone harmonized with the wind,  
touching my ears tenderly, while blowing my hair away. My eyes opened wide, as if suddenly awoken.  
She was expressionlessly gazing at me, which I returned with mine. Her white eyes shined with the Moon's glow.

[Lunar, I called you because I need your guidance. You gave us these words, Feather,  
the one that gives courage. Rain, the talents who are granted by the creator. And yet,  
even with brining us closer to the truth, we are clueless to what you want us to do. Please...]

[It is said that words can bring existence into life, and by no mistake it is truly so.  
However, the meaning behind the words is not up to us, but up to the humans who live on Earth.  
We left your world for that reason, to give you the freedom to create the world you desire.]

And yet, without guidance, humans are lost in the starless night, wandering aimlessly.  
It is the Moon that shows them the way. The light, the hope, the dream, they are all there.

[Thus, we have no desire to help Earth or the beings living there. That was our conviction up until now.  
Because the human technology reached us, we knew our worlds will collide and merge. Both worlds combined,  
our and the world outside are codependent. We can't stay in apathy no longer as that would endanger both of our worlds.]

No longer standing still, her body moved floating to the bank, towards me.  
With her feet barely visible from under the dress gently tracing the surface,  
she reached my personal space. I was still kneeling down, with my head raised.

[This is my last gift to you, it is Ashes. It will allow you to understand our message.  
With that, you will be able to make the world into what you desire, even at times of great depression.  
Sleep, dream, awakening and rebirth, follow that path and you shall be able to content us.]

With perturbed hands, I accepted the miniature Moon she was carrying. Inside of it,  
a small black like dust, like the one you would find on a moon. It's meaning yet unknown,  
but I did not waver, I was given an important task after all. If all this was true then...

[Lunar, I understand your words and accept them without a doubt in my heart.  
You are my Moon, my direction in the darkness, the one thing I will keep howling at during the night.  
Thus I make this my commitment, I shall become the person you desire me to me. I will become a Hero.]

===

Things were happening now faster that anyone could have expected. Wars, politics and financial crises,  
all of that did not only affected our world, but also by the other one. If one side had problems,  
it caused problems on the other side. In a chain reaction, they both mutually fuelled each other’s affairs.

One of the major political forces attempted to change laws regarding internet distribution in their favour.  
This wasn't the first time this was happening, thus people protested against diminishing Net Neutrality.  
That document stated that internet should be a free zone, disallowing for any companies to split it apart.

However, the interest of companies and people was split, and neither wanted to give up.  
It was a war of ideology, a never ending conflict that could not be solved by anyone.  
If anything, to cut this Gordian knot, something had to be done. Where exactly was the sword?

[This... we can get used to this after a while right?]

[The town looks beautiful during the night... but the darkness worries me.]

Ever since Lunar appeared in my vision, our world has changed drastically. The Moon blocked the sun,  
making it eternally a night. This was caused by the fact that recently, in protest of voting against Net Neutrally,  
several big companies' servers and web pages was taken offline, causing the internet blackout.

[The internet is also like this... I wonder what happened?]

[I dunno, but whatever you do, don't logout! You might never come back again I have heard.]

Walking down the stairs towards the beach, people’s worried voice reached my ears.  
If there was anything I could do to save them... I thought, remembering my promise.

[Say Wolf... are you free? There is something wrong with this,  
is this how it supposed to be now? I feel like you would know if I asked you.]

WRose, who was sitting in seiza on the wooden beach walkway, was looking at me with her petite green eyes.  
They felt more caring and nearby than before, as if her look directly pierced through me suddenly.  
I sat down near her, with sluggish movement, and raised my head up to the sky. I was thinking...

[The UI changed since this happened, I'm sure you noticed. There are no longer windows,  
damage indications or any additional info. Now you can feel this world for what it is,  
for what it should be. There are no boundaries, our worlds merged, and this is where we are now.]

The little girl besides me looked up at my face, covered in the moonlight, trying to read my expression.  
She was small however; she was not able to see my eyes behind my chin. I wonder what she was thinking about.

[Hey, what do you think will happen? It can't stay like this forever, can it?]

[Whatever happens... happens. I'm gonna just deal with it.]

Before I could notice, a tiny head was placed on my lap. It was WRose, who leaded onto me.  
Her pink hair stroked against my hand which eventually reached her slightly heated up forehead.  
Her pulse was moderately increased, her breathing reached my nostrils; a pleasant and sweet scent.

[I suppose I should start with saying sorry... From the beginning I did misjudge you Wolf.  
I thought that what I do was not getting through you, that I was only making a fool out of myself.  
I wanted to change you Wolf, I really thought that was what I needed to do. However...]

At that moment, even her voice sounded more honeyed. Her petite hands opened fully,  
her little delicate legs curled up ever so slightly. Her warmth overwhelmed my senses slowly;  
my eyes were opening wide on their own. A strange feeling filled my chest, one that was different from before.

[Someone said to me, that changing you was the right thing, I no longer think like that.  
People need facades because people are different, and so you ought to deal with each person differently.  
But also because they are different, they create distance between each another,  
the distance they are comfortable with. You are a boy Wolf and I'm a girl... that's all right?]

I nodded in silence. But then something changed, her expression became more vivid,  
her pupils dilated, her hands reached mine and we both joined them unconsciously.

[It's all okay, right?]

With her lips puckered together, her cheeks flushed and her eyes closed, WRose’s head was slowly rising towards mine.  
With little hesitation, I felt her intention, and leaned forward. As we came close I closed my eyes as well. In the dark,  
our hearts touched, her taste filling my mouth, a sweet and innocent nectar. This was the night the flower bloomed.

===

It was turning hell over this side as well, I thought as soon as the night fallen.  
It's strange how much you appreciate your friends only after you lose your contact with them.  
Due to this blackout, only alternative channels on the internet are working, but no one uses IRC any more.

That's what I thought when I logged there, it was strangely packed with a lot of people I knew,  
I was glad to hear they were okay as well. We talked about things concerning about our times.  
It was obvious that everyone feared the worst, but they also had hope that things will change again.

I was also told that whatever I did I mustn't logout, or something happens. That is fine,  
I have nothing else to do anyway. However I also heard that things changed in the game, and they did.  
It was eternal night now, the UI disappeared and most of all Teleport Stones no longer worked.

[Hey, do you know what happened here? I'm kinda confused.]

I asked a random passer-by. I was lucky that I logout in Maremoda; it's always full of people.

[It's the blackout man... it's here too! But don't worry... they will fix it eventually.]

The man was clearly uneasy, wobbling aimlessly down the street. He might have been drunk.

[Hey, Darku, nice to see you made here.]

Suddenly, a familiar face shook my hand before I could notice. It was Xyl,  
though I dunno what was he doing here. Normally he should be in his castle.

[Hey Xyl, I'm happy to see you here as well. Those are interesting times, right?]

[They sure are, let me buy you a drink and we can talk.]

We sat down in the nearby club; they had alcohol drinks that tasted lightly like that,  
but due the Synapse restrictions it was not allowed for liquids to taste like liquor.  
We talked about a few things, mainly our recent adventures. I kept whatever Wolf said a secret.

[I was quite busy with the War. People were always complaining that is my job to fix problems,  
yet they knew that they caused problems themselves. I'm sure you know it was a joyride for me,  
but in the end nothing actually happened. The war went to a stalemate after the blackout.]

[Well, I only had to deal with a rogue party once; the war didn't really do anything here.  
I'm glad though that people are no longer fighting, even temporarily. War isn't a good thing,  
it makes people think that they are in right, that you can be enemies and still be friends.]

[You can't? I mean I don't talk with G1 every day, but we are still friends I think.  
In any case, how about you? I heard you got that letter, though G1 said not to tell you...]

So Gee told him about the letter? Or maybe he did find out it somehow... whatever that was,  
if Xyl would have asked, I would have told him, so it's fine. This is again about my ex huh?

[Well I am happy and unhappy that she did message me after all this time. If you were me,  
what would you do? I feel like if I went back to her side, we would to return to how we were and that would be it.]

[You are not far from what I would say; she is definitely a person that can be difficult.  
But at the same time, do you think she can overcome her problems now? Maybe that question...  
could be directed at you too as well? If you know for sure you can change, I don't see a problem, do you?]

If she really have changed, then that's good for her. But that's still just a possibility.  
I can't be sure about how much I have changed myself even; I still listen to the same songs,  
read the same books, watch the same films and hang out with the same friends... what have changed?

[There is no problem, I am simply afraid that's all. I actually haven't replied yet,  
and it's been a long time. I thought she would be sending me multiple messages after some time,  
but this wasn't the case. Therefore I probably have to say she learned to be patient right?]

[Something like that, patience is a thing you grow into naturally. Without it,  
you can't actually apprentice things you went through. For example, when I watch old films,  
I compare how I was back then to how I’m now. The difference itself shows how change is not instantaneous.]

By that he meant that even if in the past there are things you regret doing,  
things that you now see differently, a change is not something you do overnight.  
Even if I played this game chained to nostalgia, there are new things I have learned about myself.

[Saying so, you know I thought that the only reason to fill my loss was to find another girl friend?  
But a little while ago together with my party I went on a vacation, and I had to suffer the parity.  
It was sad, but I learned that I wasn't the only one that didn't have a solution for their relationship.]

Thus, even if Titania made me hear that on purpose, I learned that something can't be fixed.  
Sure, you can search for an answer or you can escape from confrontations, but in the end I learned something.  
People aren't perfect and they have flaws that can't be fixed, they can only be suppressed by others.  
That's why people connect, not only due nostalgia but also to escape the gravity of themselves.

[Thank you... I think I understand what I should do now.]

[By the way, the real reason why I came here is that my streaming site is down,  
not because I took vacation from running the guild. Take care Darku, and keep strong.]

And then Xyl brohugged me.. I actually really needed that. Thanks old friend.

===

After that I found myself walking down the narrow street again. Through the open window, players,  
or rather the people of this world were looking curiously, checking what happened outside.  
With their faces worried, they sought confront from each other, but they also knew nothing could be done.

My path was illuminated by the wall lamps, on my right the ocean and to my left a stone wall.  
Below me there was a faint light coming out of the half opened door. Curiously, I wanted to look inside,  
but the door opened on its own. Four people came out of it, Titania, WRose, Pina and Hina.

[Hey, are you sure that's all we need? I can ask around if people have equipment.]

[Then do you know what are you looking for Titania? It's better for you just to carry.]

It was due the server rules now that items didn't fit into the inventory,  
you had to carry them in hands, just like in older VR games. Looking at them,  
they had some kind of musical equipment, instruments, amplifiers and boxes.

I jumped down to greet them. I didn't want to tail Titania for the third time now...

[Hey guys, you don't mind if I join you all?  
I see you could use someone for help,  
so just let me know what I must do.] 

[Sure, you can take this box; I still need to get something from a certain shop.  
I will be with you guys shortly, so just set everything up in the meantime okay?]

The rest nodded and Hina handed me over her box. I felt that something heavy is inside.  
It took some time but we arrived at the pier, which was our destination. That time I learned...

[So Darku, we are trying to hold a concert for the people of this world, that's why we need all of this.  
Additionally, because we have very few people, I would like you to help as well. We need to setup the stage,  
instruments and sound. I can probably do that, but then there is also the case of gathering people here...]

[Right, I can gather some people; you can leave it to me!]

[Thanks Tania. Okay, we need to start with assembling the stage here,  
the parts should be inside the box... well they are smaller than I thought.]

Picking one piece after another, we slowly got the idea of how this thing supposed to be assembled.  
Not surprising, the pieces after set in place grew in size, like they usually do in this world.  
The stage itself was a blue wooden platform with a bandshell that was actually made from a giant shell.

[Right... this reminds me that this place is still Maremoda...  
I wish things weren’t this obvious... but I can live with it.]

[Hey Pina are you okay? I should be okay with finishing this up on my own.]

[Yea... you told me you were a sound expert or something...]

[It is true, in the past I got interested in music videos on the internet. I was in school back then,  
so I had time to look into how they were made. Soon after, I ended up making my first video.  
I used voice synthesisers to create vocal, and at first it didn't sound okay, but after a few tries...]

So WRose was a music producer before huh? I wonder what kind of songs she made. However,  
due the blackout now I don't think I could listen to them now. It's kinda sad to admit that...

[It's fine... I don't know much about making music either...  
I would have loved to listen to your songs though... but it's impossible now.]

[Don't say that Pina, I should still have some of my songs recorded on my hard drive.  
I'm not sure how I would send them to you... but we can play them here right?]

[Right... this will be our concert after all.]

The girls were right, not all was lost yet, we can still be connected through other channels,  
main channels aren't the only ones. The same can go for people, even if they can’t fully understand each other,  
if there’s at least one thing that connects them together, they can relate to one another. That's a wonderful thing.

[Yes... but I don't know how do I feel about singing in front of the crowd...  
I mean I never had the opportunity to do this, so I'm a little bit discouraged.]

[Of course... Rose take your time... people living here say piano piano...  
it means step by step, take it slow and steady... I believe in you so...]

You should believe in yourself too. Even if you can't change overnight, you shouldn't give up.  
Even if there are no imminent effects, you shouldn't just look at the surface of things.  
If you truly believe that something can change, even a sliver of hope like in my case, it can happen.

[Alight, I will try at least. Thank you guys for being here,  
[we are done with the setup. the only thing remaining is…]

[You can do it girl… right?]

WRose bowed formally, while Pina looked at me with an expression that told me to do the same.  
I think she never learned I'm actually a guy, but besides that I also raised my hand with a cheer.  
The Priest girl, albeit a little embarrassed, smiled back at us with her hands clenched in the air.

[I’m going to give my best! Also I think we are done here,  
the only thing remaining is gathering people for the concert.]

[Sure thing WRose, I’m going to help Titania, take care.]

===

A little while ago, a certain little girl was walking alone along the beach.  
Her petite bare feet, that left footprints in the ground, got stuck with little bits of sand.  
As the waves came and go, those bits of sand were washed away by the current.

[This... feels great. I never knew the beach was this beautiful at night.] 

It was indeed dark outside, but not as dark as one might think. Thanks to the moonlight,  
she saw where she was going. She wouldn't trip on a rock or a shell, her steps were made firm.  
Water washing the bits between her teensy toes, she looked at the city that was in the distance.

It was illuminated with many lights, many points of interests you could visit. All of them,  
somehow created this construction of complex pathways and narrow hallways. In a maze like that,  
you would get lost if your hand wasn't held by someone. Reminiscing, the little girl touched her wrist.

[Hey Rosie, going on for walk? You are pretty far from the city, so you should be careful.  
I dunno if AIs still can protect you here, so I came instead. This are some dark times...]

Even the tall bold girl thought that, distressed by the terrible occurrence that happened.

[I'm fine Tania, I am just taking a walk. But say...  
now that you came, want to tag along? I would be glad.]

The shorter girl, who was wearing her swimsuit, dropped a curtsey, inviting the other girl for a walk.  
The taller one, who spotted her friend’s outfit beforehand, also came wearing her own bathing suit.  
Thus the two girls, equipped properly for the beach, enjoyed their little stroll through the coast line hand in hand.

Her friend was closer to the ocean water, because she was taller, and the shorter girl was on the other side,  
further away from the waves. In this situation, the waves broke before they reach the sun hat wearing girl.

[Hey, why the sad face? Maybe you want a piggyback or something?]

The blond girl joked, trying to commence a conversation between the two.  
The petite one smiled and ran in front of the taller one, reaching out for both of her hands.

[Ehehe~ How about a princess carry? I wouldn't mind if you were my prince, Tania.]

The tiny girl returned the joke back at its sender. Both girls giggled a little,  
and stopped walking for a second. Their eyes reflected the light from the Moon.

[Hey, no matter what happens Rosie, you will always have me; you will always have Wolf,  
so don’t worry okay? If anything happens there are people that are going to protect you.]

[Yes I know that, even if things aren’t as bright now I believe in Wolf and others.  
You should too Tania, trust your boyfriend. I know it might be hard but he’s a nice guy right?]

Saying those words the petite girl faced towards her friend and pulled closer. They joined hands,  
resting their tender fingers in each other’s palms, looking at one another fair eyes. With their pupils dilated,  
their legs buried deeper into the sand, suddenly big wave splashed them thoroughly from feet to head. 

[Ahaha... this actually feels nice. We should take a dip, how about that Rosie?]

[Sure, just hold on, I’m going to put my hair down.]

The smaller girl nodded, removed her hat and unbraided her hair. With the waves swaying them gently,  
their bodies became submerged into the water. Their arms enfolding each other, their heads above the surface,  
and despite their size difference, the two friends, alone against the ocean, became a buoy for one another.

[Say, what was the reason you decided to stay with Wolf? Did you feel sorry for him?  
I know you guys had some serious affair between the two, but you seem to have recoiled quickly.]

At first the petite girl hid her demure mouth below the surface, before gathering breath, surfacing,  
and facing upwards towards her friend. With serious eyes, she decided to share the truth she believed in.

[Wolf is really that kind of a guy right? I don't mind him but I can also say that...  
Well he is special for me. It is hard to describe, as for I would have to explain something first...  
But I know I can trust him, I want to believe in him. It's because I feel like...]

The pink haired girl gathered her thoughts before vocalizing these words.

[Because Wolf makes me feel like a woman, even if he's crude and says little,  
even if he's centred around things only he likes and understand, I can forgive him that.  
As long as he is beside me, as long he is there, I feel even the impossible is possible.  
Even if it's just a dream, even if it's just a fairy tale, Wolf won't stop being my prince.]

With their flapping legs their slim feet rubbing against each other, unconsciously,  
they both snuggled warmly. Their trembling bodies warmed each other in the cold water.  
But the two girls also connected in one more way, their minds that were on the same wavelength. 

[Hey Rosie, I will be frank, I also have a dream, a dream of becoming a hero.  
A cool hero that charges to battle, who can do something normal people can't.  
Naturally, because of that I was interested in Wolf, but if you say so... Yea sorry.  
I kinda feel sorry for my own boyfriend; because I understood he can't make me happy.]

And so, joined their thoughts together, their untangled hairs interweaved, floating on the surface.  
It was a magical scene, like if they were two mermaids said their goodbyes before returning to their home,  
returning to their respective fable. The time to go back was now, time to leave the place of mind.

===

[Say... are you okay? Can you really do this?]

[Don't worry Pina, I think Titania can handle the drums when she comes back.  
I mean you just have to pretend that you are playing an instrument,  
and the music should be playing on by itself. It's my first time too so...]

The girl, once again in the present, was getting ready for an important concert.  
It was her first in fact, and it would be performed in VR. Even if she wanted do a live,  
she was forced to use the equipment she was given, which required her to use playback.

[Yes, if we connect each audio line to a single instrument, it should harmonize with the rest.  
That way it should sound natural, if everything syncs that is... that's my worst worry.]

[Then don't worry... we have to be strong...  
That's what my sister told me... Every time.]

The little cat girl, who tried to cheer her friend, somehow also got a little bit down herself.  
Noticing so, the white wearing girl walked next to her, touching her shoulder gently with her delicate hand.

[Hey, if there is something on your mind... I want to hear it.]

Even though little shaken, the little kitten girl gazed at the other one, looking for confirmation.  
Receiving a nod, she sat down on the drummer’s chair and slowly began her explanation in a whisper.

[You see... My sister always wants to cheer me up, pet me, and say that I'm strong.  
Up until now there was no reason I would have said this but... since we became friends...]

[Yes, you can trust me Pina, I will keep it a secret.]

In a way, the cat ear wearing girl showed a particular face, as if she related to the other girl.  
Perhaps she did, perhaps she knew that girl's secret too? If so, that only brought them closer.

[She says and does all those things... because I had an unfortunate accident. It happen a long time ago,  
I got into a car accident and lost control of my legs ever since... Doctors say there is a small chance...  
And my sister wants to believe in that as well... That's why she always wants to cheer me up.]

[I'm... sorry to hear that Pina. Is there something I could do for you?]

[Well... for starters we could just be friends... My sister is crazy about this,  
that's why she asked me to become a mermaid. Doctors say that stimulator can help...  
but I hate to say it to her... being a mermaid reminds me that my legs don't move...  
My lower limbs become like a sack I have to drag around...That's why I hate it...]

Both girls instantly hugged each other, realising how much both had in common.  
Even though the cat girl shared her story, the musician girl was the more crying one.  
They deeply embraced each other for the moment, and then returning to the present...

[Hey guys I brought the outfits. This should be just like that once scene, right?  
So, how did the preparations went Rose? Is everything okay? I can try to bring in more stuff.]

It was unclear if the fox girl, who was carried a box filled with various costumes,  
had noticed what just occurred there a moment ago. On top of that, she made the topic clear,  
thus the two girl who were hugging, released each other and stood up, gathering near the fox girl.

[Those are really nice Hina, you sure know where to get this stuff.  
However... did you figure out who wears what? I mean this bunnysuit...]

[Yea that scene had a bunnysuit for some reason, but don't worry.  
The size should fit anyone because it’s an item. Convenient, isn't it?]

At first both of the girls who were looking at the costume had a mixed expression, but then the cat girl spoke.

[Okay… I’m going to do it for you Rose…  
I’m used to it… as a shrine maiden to Lunar…]

[Pina… Thanks!]

Before the pink haired girl could properly thank her friend for the gesture, someone came from outside of the stage.

[Hey, are you guys ready? I and Daki gathered everyone we could,  
it will be a blast! Hey, if there’s any way I could still help you guys...]

[How about you take that seat over there? You just need pretend playing them.]

[Sure, just leave it to me! I will be drumming in no time!]

[Then here this is your share, change into this and good luck!]

And with that, the four of the girls were getting dressed for the concert. Conveniently,  
when they brought the clothes close to their body, a screen appeared. After they were done,  
their bodies now donned the outfits prepared for their special concert. They were ready.

[Okay... this is fine... this is for you Rose...]

Many people have gathered at the beach, many familiar faces as well as the dear faces.  
As the curtain opened, the cat girl who took the bullet for the flower girl, was in the middle as the singer,  
by her side, her sister with the bass and her friend with a guitar, behind them all, a blond girl on drums.

[Heeyy! We are live now! Do you guys hear us well?]

The fox girl, with a loud voice, raised the crowd’s hands and made them cheer.  
They were ready as well for what was about to happen during this so far silent night.

[Because we choose so... because we have hope we can share with other...  
When things are bad... you should remember that friends are people...  
They also have problems and they also have secrets… just like yourself.]

[That's why you should connect with other people, ya know?  
I might be just a girl that smashes her head against the wall,  
but I don't do it for my sake. As a hero of justice I’m there for everyone.]

[We all had bad times and our good times, but we had each other.  
When there is a second person there for you, you are not alone.  
This is why you too should give you all. To make others smile is to smile yourself.]

[People have their own dreams and few ever share the same one.  
But knowing so, isn't it better to share them? Not knowing what others think,  
you might just hurt them. Thus, everyone! Let's all share our dreams after we share ours!]

The cat girl, the tall knight girl, the fox girl and finally the flower girl,  
all of them respectably said their lines which fired up the crowd wildly.  
Now was their time, their narrative, their world which was created by their own hands.

[Let's go!]

Strum-strum... the guitar played a nostalgic intro melody, recognized instantly by everyone.  
Bang-bang... the loud percussion sound made the crowd move, their hands in the air waving.  
La-la-la... And then the lyrics joined, everyone singed in unison all through the never-ending night.


	9. Chapter 9

=== Chapter 9 [Dragon]

[So you are saying that only he can prevent this world from falling into ruin?  
Why would it be so? What is so special about this one man, what is his secret?]

The world as we knowing it might be ending soon. Something appeared in the sky, something dreadful.  
It is invisible to our eye, but lays down destruction everything it passed though. In order to stop it,  
we need to do everything possible and even the impossible. For that sake I requested an audience.

[Yes, I knew him for quite some time now. His name is Wolf and he claims he met Lunar.  
However his story is a little more unique, for he is the benefactor of her words and grace.  
My information also comes from Darku, who is currently investigating the problem.]

I was inside of an impressive medieval castle, the capital for the biggest guild in this world, TSA.  
It is actually an alliance of several smaller guilds, but since they are technically all merged,  
there is no reason to treat them individually. Currently I was receiving a screening from the round table.

[So if we have the man himself right before us, let us question him directly.]

[We ought to hear him out, but there is no way for us to tell if he is speaking the truth.]

With them thinking so, I already knew this was going to be difficult. From their perceptive,  
encounters with Ghost AIs, world codependency, and how Lunar was able to contact us on the other side,  
all those things would appear as a fallacy to a person never experienced them. I needed evidence.

[Here they are, this is the Feather, the one that gives courage to the people.  
Rain, the talents who are granted by the creators. Ashes, the symbol of rebirth.  
All those Words I was granted by the goddess Lunar. You won't find any information about them.]

The wise men who gathered, including Xyl, carefully examined each item thoroughly.  
Fascinated by the items I presented to them, I bet they were thinking “How could one man gathered them all?”  
After looking with their spectacles, touching and shaking the globe, they return to their positions.

[Very well, they seem to be factual and existent. There is no problem with us,  
we acknowledge they are indeed words. But they hold no meaning to us. You have to explain,  
how can those words solve the problem at hand? You came here understanding that yes?]

[I reckon that will come in due time, so please come down and let the man speak.]

With the permission to speak I took my time to think over things I wanted to share.  
If I didn't sound convincing, they would doubt my words. If my words were not coherent,  
they would find it hard to believe. On top of that, the importance of this was great.

[Listen well, I will tell you know why I think was given those words and how they connect.  
Feather, Rain and Ashes, they are all a part of a rebirth cycle. The logic behind is that,  
a phoenix, which is a bird, raises from the ashes, but in order to it needs fuel, which is rain.]

[I see, so by shaking the globe you rain fire onto the fireplace, instead of rain?  
It would have been confusing if we didn't actually shake Rain. We understand.]

[Yes, now this means that Lunar wanted us to realise something by giving those specific words.  
If you look at Ashes it is but a simple globe, a miniature Moon. It has no power of its own,  
however adding fire to it will create something, it will reignite it and cause the phoenix to rebirth.]

I looked at everyone's faces to check if they understood my words so far. It would be difficult,  
or even impossible, to get them to understand my plan if we were not on the same line by now.  
However it should be smooth sailing from now, since I did noticed they were giving me their trust.

[So what does that mean for us? When you look at the sky, at the single Moon in the darkness,  
the first feeling you will get is hopelessness. We can't do anything about this situation,  
those kind of thoughts. But I think that's wrong, we can definitely still do something even now.]

[Then I assume you already come here knowing so, we will gladly hear your suggestion.]

I gathered myself and my posture. I was not convicted myself that this plan would work...  
But I was also grated a mission, thus I had the responsibility to do something, if anything at all.

[It might be not as clear for you but do you see how this world is connected with the other one?  
How does one affect the other? Despite how ridiculous this sounds, wasn't the war here,  
and in the other world related? Wasn't the internet blackout related to the solar eclipse here?]

[In the case of the war, it was indeed so. Around the time our guild put the war into cease fire,   
the war in the other world also have halted. Together with the blackout, this seems quite credible.]

Xyl, a friend of Darku spoke, giving a raise to voices of the council members. They were worried,  
perplexed and surprised. They were not sure if whenever this was something that was logical,  
if this was something that could normally happen. With their voices split, they argued until...

[This won't be the solution to our problem; we have to do something together, there is no doubt.  
We should listen to what this man, hear his opinion. We can't afford being idle now, we have to do act.]

Everyone nodded and looked at me, as if I were the all knowing oracle. I was but a simple person,  
chosen by the goddess to become the hero. What I knew and believed was due to my own knowledge.

[All things considered if we find a way to use the connection of the worlds to our advantage...  
For example, if we involve people's mind into a single concept, then surely it will happen here as well.]

When I say minds, I mean that Lunar is a being that somehow connected to the mind of humans.  
Therefore, the connection between the worlds might be also based on the Morphic Fields theory.  
If I was true then that could only mean our thoughts, reaching the "Ghost AIs" in this world,  
shaped this world according to our belief, just like words. That is why the war or blackout happened.

[We have to send our ideas to the world. Those thoughts would have to incorporate saving the world.  
Doing so, we will have thoughts materialize in this world, and in return it will affect the other as well.   
You know how words become existence? Unspoken words are just as inaction, we can't afford that now.]

This all made sense for the wise men, which looked at each other with a more serious expression.  
Then they looked back at me, seeing that I was probably the one that would know what to do.

[I was thinking among all the things we can do to send a message. There might be one thing,  
I want everyone to plant trees; it needs to be specifically trees. It doesn't matter which world,  
you can plant them here or the other one, what matters is that people must realise what are we doing.]

As I spoke those words, the room was in an uproar. Xyl had to step in to restore order.  
Understandably, planting trees would not resolve anything, but it would do one thing.

[I see you didn't get my intention. When you hear "Save the planet" what is the first thing on your mind?  
It must be planting trees. Thus if do that, that notion will be planted in all living beings of this world,  
and the other. Like a seed, the thought will grow until it becomes existence. That's why it must be trees.]

Now I was making sense, it was clear by the way they looked. If we concentrated out thoughts on saving the world,  
surely a hero will appear that would be able to defeat the invisible thread. Surely if words are able to create existence,  
we would be able to create our own narrative. Doing so, we shall save this world, which in turn will save the other.

[If anything, we did manage to deforest a lot of areas to the materials we used up in the war.  
We hold no excuses for that, as well we hold nothing against that plan. If what you say is true,  
then this plan is worth attempting. It is much better than leaving it as things are now.]

[Yes, I agree. If anyone would be knowledgeable about why the Moon shrouds the sun,  
it would be Lunar. Therefore this man, the chosen by Lunar, would be the one we should trust.  
Even in the darkest times, as long as there is hope, we should reignite it. So we shall, together!]

And then, everyone around the round table, reached out their hands, joining them into the middle.  
I too, reached my hand towards the council members. With that the battle was half over.  
I also needed to convince the other guild, Anti-TSA, which I don't think would be hard.

===

Large wild flames were rising up as high as the sky, screaming filled the befouled air.  
There was pain and there were tears. This usually peaceful town changed into a battle zone.  
Maremoda was no longer a safe place. It became a trap for its residences that could not escape.

[Pina, Hina! You're both alive, I'm so glad!]

As the lower parts of the town were collapsed and burning, survivors evacuated to the higher sections.  
There were people injured who rested. The people who still have the will to fight didn't lose time and idle,  
they searched the city in order to bring the survivors into safety. WRose, who was brave, was one of them.

[Hey, look it's Rose! Don't worry about us, just run!   
There are going to be monsters here soon, you have to retreat!]

[Rose... just listen to what my sister says...]

The two shrine maiden girls in her casual clothes were down on the ground, pinned by a heavy wooden balcony,   
unable to get back up on their own. Knowing so, and ignoring the request of her friend, the white wearing girl rushed.  
She knew that she had little time to save them before they would disappear; she knew that she had to act fast.

[I won't leave you there to die! Here!]

She used her magical power in order to move the rubble away and quickly took her hand towards the injured.  
With a green glowing energy, her petite hands reached towards both of the girls, restoring their vitality.  
The three, back on their feet, involuntary embraced each other, as they were very worried about each other.

[I wouldn't leave you guys here... knowing that monsters are coming.  
Don't worry I am going to protect you from harm, we can do this together!]

[I didn't mean to... look sorry Rose. I believe in you too!]

[Yea... I was scared that you would... sorry.]

At this warming moment, something else, outside of their control has happened. From above,  
and below, there was multitude of various sounds. Metal hitting stone, wood hitting ground,  
mechanical sound of adversaries that quickly surrounded all three girls, blocking their escape.

[This is not good... Don't worry, we and sis are strong.]

[Yea, with your type of magic you can't do much here, so leave it to us.]

Worried about their friend, the shaman sisters decided to take the control of the situation,   
presumably to repay her from her previous deed. They drew their wands, ready for combat.

[Hey, don't worry about me just because I play a Priest.]

Surrounded at every side with multiple adversaries, the girls scouted for an opportunity to break through.  
Their opponents were dolls and mannequins, each one without clothes, carrying sticks and metal rods in their hands.  
Alone they did not look threatening, but the sheer number was overwhelming. Luckily for the Wizard sisters...

[Let's escape the way Rose came from, we can't be sure that there is a safe path anywhere else.]

[Right... just leave the blasting to us... Hyaa!]

Several blasts from each wand pierced the monsters through, diminishing their numbers ever so slightly.  
The problem was that they were coming from each side, thus the girls have to quick about it. With a gesture,  
a fissure risen from the ground, blasting the mannequins away in a line. This was their chance to run.

[This is the way, come on!]

WRose announced, as she ran for the opening with the other girls. While doing so, they kept on offensive,  
using basic magic that did not slow them. This way they had the best chance to escape before they were surrounded.  
However, as soon as they made their way, something unforeseen happened that changed the situation drastically.

[Watch out!]

A large doll fell from the top of the building, directly smashing and pushing away the girls.  
They were slip from each other, Pina and Hina were pushed back to the crowd of monsters while WRose,  
who was pushed the other way, smashed against a wall and was pinned against it, still standing.

[This is bad, you two keep fighting. I’m going to get through this somehow.]

Between the friends there was a wall now, consisting the larger monster and the rest of mannequins.  
They were usually something that was made as an imitation of the human body, as something mincing it.  
Right now they were nothing but ruthless machines without soul or human features, they were abominations.

[Don't worry about us! We can escape the other way somehow.]

[Yea... just don't do something rash...]

But they soon regretted saying those words. Lacking the means to fight at a close range, they were at a disadvantage,   
and with only one grab counter, they were unable to fight for a long time. The monsters eventually overwhelmed them,   
and grabbed both of the girls by their hands. As they struggled with their limbs, their bodies were lifted up into the air.

[Let me go! What did I ever do to you?]

[Hey... this is not fair...]

On the other side, a lone girl was firing her spells at the wall of enemies. Even if she blasted them with an ice spell,  
even if she summoned holy light came from the sky that ignited her foes, even if she used her staff at close range,  
nothing seemed to break the wall completely. She lacked the power, now that she changed her archetype from Wizard.

[I'm... useless. I can't break through like this... not as a Priest.  
If only I have not changed my Archetype, I would have the strength to...]

Sulking in her worries, WRose was pushed against the wall by the horde of doll monster's grabby hands.  
On the other side, her friends were trying to release themselves from the grapple, to no avail.  
Their struggles, diminishing with each second, came to a stop, as if their life energy was drained completely.

[I can't move! This is no normal at all... Do you feel funny inside too, Pina?]

[I'm here sis, I feel like... we are turning into them now...]

It was as the cat girl said. Although not transformed, their bodies did not respond to their wills now.  
Their limbs were shaken by the monsters, they moved as if they were held by strings. It was grotesque,  
and unpleasant to even look at. Reluctantly, the white wearing girl averted her tearful eyes.

[I don't like it... I don't want to become a doll...]

[Don't worry Pina, we still have to believe. You won't become a doll, I'm here for you.]

[But... I always end up getting dressed in weird clothes for you sis... but it's not always fun...  
In fact... ever since that accident you wanted to help... for that I'm thankful... and sorry.]

[I didn't... I didn't know you hated it! I'm so sorry.]

Even if their faces also lost muscles, a sorrow tear came down their cheeks.  
Now the three girls, even if in this seemly unsolvable situation, were once again ignited.  
WRose, who was the only one that could save them all, had to act and quickly.

[I don't know... why so much I wanted this, why does the feeling never leave me alone.  
But I don't surrender to this, not with my friends’ lives on the line in front of me.]

Her green eyes shined, and gained a new light. It was the light of hope that washed away the tears.  
Even if others say otherwise, even if shapes of people's body are different, what you believe is important.  
If you let go of who you are, you give the strings of control to others, and they are free to move you as they please.

[I won’t let them control my friends or me! There is one thing I can do still.]

The white wearing girl rose to the sky, behind her a pure white wings spread, lifting her into the air.  
Below her, a rain of shining feathers decimated monsters as she flew over them. With her mind focused,  
she soared towards her target, the two girls who were taken captive. With a quick swing of her staff,  
she summoned a pillar of white chilling energy that blew away the monsters around the three girls.

[We're free! But...]

[We still can't... move...]

Like dolls, the two girls fell onto the ground, without being able to move at all. However...

[Here! I hope this works.]

WRose, with her hands in prayer, a healing glow appeared on the bodies of the sisters.  
With their movement resorted, they stood up and instantly prepared to attack the big monster.

[This big guy is coming!] 

Together, they used their powerful spells and blasted as hard as they could, defeating the brute.  
With the bigger one down, they had no problems with taking out the rest of the mannequins.  
The battle was over, and as the angel wings vanished and WRose was caught as she was falling.

[Wow, you really did save us! You looked pretty cute and cool there!]

[Yea... like a cute magical girl or something...]

[Hey guys... we gotta get out here first, could you stop petting me?]

===

In a different section of the town, a young drow with his friend was trying to a safe way out of the town.  
With people trapped in the upper parts of the city, it was only a matter of time before everything was lost.  
Because of that, someone had to secure an escape route, and that someone was a specialist at surviving.

[Right, this way is also blocked. You can trust me, I been living in this town for a while.]

[Affirmative, this unit will comply with unit Darku's request.]

One robot and one drow were hand in hand running as far as they could, examining the damage.  
Every time they found rubble, it was too much for them to remove quickly. Knowing how long it would took,  
it was dangerous to attempt as the monsters would surely find them. There was another option however.

[Right, we could just ask everyone to jump down, but that's also dangerous.  
We have ropes, but only our archetype can use them. Because they don't,  
it would be dangerous for them to go. They might get stuck, without a way back.]

[It was only an attempt at logical progressing, this unit will excuse itself.]

The two were clearly stuck with only one option, which was to continue searching.  
A little while later, they found something that attracted their interest.

[Unit Darku, please look at that direction. It appears that the two roofs of those building are intact.  
Furthermore, my sensors indicate that there is a safe path heading down the road there. Proposition,  
find a way to breach the gap between the two roofs with a makeshift bridge and proceed further.]

[Roger, I like that plan. There's gotta be a long plank somewhere right? A not singed one as well.  
Okay, I'm going ahead to look for it. I think I saw just what we are looking for, so could you stop here for now?]

[Acknowledged, this unit will secure the perimeter awaiting the return of unit Darku.]

Without saying a word more, the drow rushed towards the location he remembered from earlier.

[There's the balcony, it is also lengthy enough. Okay,   
all I need to take out the tools and somehow deliver this.  
Easier said the done... but here goes nothing.]

This task reminded Darku about how he played a certain game long ago. It was a game full of content,   
an open sandbox game where you were able to craft and modify the game as you pleased. It was a blast,  
the first game the Marksman ever dived deep into. Even if it was now just an old memory, he did not discard it.

[Okay, now I gotta before G1 gets upset.]

Returning to the site, the drow was a witness to a scene before his eyes. Surrounded by monsters,  
humanoid shaped machines that carried chains, G1 was on the ground, unable to move. Furthermore,  
to get to him Darku would have jump down a quite the distance down and without a way back.

[Hello *beeb* Sorry *beeb* This unit...]

The robot spoke in broken works, as if it was malfunctioning. The bowman knew that he was just acting,  
but nevertheless the situation was dire. All he could do at the moment was to draw their attention,  
and then jump down. Even if the safety rope didn't have enough length, he would think of something.

[Don't worry Gee, I'm coming.]

Getting the attention with his bow, the drow was instantly noticed by the enemies. They were furious,  
and had one goal in their mind. Suddenly, one of them threw a chain at the Marksman, but he dodged it.  
However, that was not the only one, and soon after, multiple chains were aimed at the bow user.

[Okay, that happened.]

Pulled without resistance, the Drow now found himself between all of the monsters. However,  
they did not attack, nor they saw particularly interested in combat. With their empty eyes,  
they stood motionless. Darku of course had no idea why, but he didn't mind that he was still live.

[Well, this is far different from what I expected.   
G1, you okay? Let me get you up and then we can...]

[This unit appreciates the gesture, however given the circumstances it would be unwise to do so.  
According to this unit's limited calculations, the monsters' goal is solely this unit. Therefore,  
upon recuperation attempt this cycle would continue. There is no breaking it, this will continue.]

A little worried about what he heard; the drow looked deeper inside of him. He was certain,  
he knew for sure he heard those words before. It the same as always, the same old story,  
the nostalgia that Darku could not break away from. At this crucial moment, it all returned to him.

[You... might be right, but there is no way to know for sure.]

[This unit will not impose its prime directive upon unit Darku. It will not upon a friend.  
Accessing memory... the data... so beautiful... the time we spend together... no longer...  
Proceeding to delete data... Reason: This unit doesn't want to feel regret… No regrets…]

[No, don't do that! I can save you so you don't need to delete the data! It's something...  
It is something precious to me. I just recently realized what keeps me in the orbit, something that I can't let go!]

Even if robots don't cry, that wasn't the case for Darku, who shed a tear from his hidden eye.  
Whipping it off, he removed the braid from his eye and tucked it inside of his cape. Now he saw clearly,  
and he also knew what he is going to do. He had to escape from this seemingly infinite loop.

[I'm going to get you up, hold onto me the entire time okay?]

Without the confirmation, he placed his board onto the floor and placed a Spring Trap on one of the sides.  
His plan was to use the board as see-saw, and using the spring as the propeller to jump back on the roof.

[Hold on tight, and use the rope when we land.]

As soon as he recovered G1's down status, the chain monsters activated again,   
and flung their chains at both of them. This time however, Darku and G1 were ready.  
They both used their Safety Rope just as they were hit. This allowed them to active the skill before they were pulled all the way,  
and thus allowing them to return to the roof safely. Afterwards both of them quickly escaped their range.

[See? I used the gravity force to pull me forward, instead of back.  
Pretty cool right? I'm impressed that this actually worked myself.]

[Magnificent. This unit could not calculate unit Darku's plan up until now.  
It appears that gravity, albeit considered a constant, is in fact fluctuating.  
New entry, when someone pulls you down, you can use that force to fling yourself forward.  
All thanks to unit Darku's logic that this unit was saved. You are great. You are great.]

===

Meanwhile, near the entrance to the beach, only the bravest of the warriors held the line.  
With the invasion in progress, the survivors would have been overwhelmed if not for them.  
Even though there was no end to this siege, there were a few people who would yield to nothing.

[Fancy meeting you here, are you going to help me at all?]

[I'm going to help myself mostly; I don't need to you help me.]

The two in the line was Titania, a knight who fought her fights bravely, and the one called Anti-Wolf,  
whose intentions were unclear. Both of them were quite the veterans, like an unstoppable force.  
No matter how long, no matter for tough their opponents were, they did not let a single one pass.

[Hey, don't be silly. If your name really Anti-Wolf? Your mother must hate you.]

[No, that's what I said, but you can just call me Albert. That's fine for you miss?]

[Oh, certainly better than Anti-Wolf. Now tell me, how old are you, what are your hobbies...]

[Humpf...]

Although the blond girl wanted to better know her comrade, the other one shrugged and turned away.  
It was about time, as the next wave of enemies was coming. Fearsome beasts of many kinds, the small,  
the big, the ugly, like a horde swarmed the tight corridor the two were guarding. Titania raised her sword.

[Okay, there comes more, get ready.]

One swing after another, the knight pushed the attackers back down, but they did not surrender.  
More and more started filling up the space, as if there was no end to them. In this case unfortunately,  
it was only a matter of time when they would overwhelm her. Luckily she also had a little helper.

[Just keep them at their bay; if they can't move past you, you won't get surrounded.]

The little boy dressed in black, with his dual swords that he used especially for fighting monsters,  
dashed left and right, trying to take down as many attackers as fast as it was physically possible.  
It was not an easy task, as one mistake could cost him his life. He carefully swung his swords when...

[That sound!]

Suddenly, from a nearby alley or something, a loud sound echoed from the city. It was as if a wall collapsed.  
Following there was a multitude of legs thumping through the streets in a hurry. That could only mean one thing,  
the other outpost collapsed and thus the only guardians remaining was the duet here. The situation turned dire.

[We must be the only ones left, I advise you to retreat.]

[Screw this, I'm going to take them all combined, I won't surrender that easily.  
At least we can give others the time to regroup and form defensive lines further in the city.  
Are you coming with me or are you staying here? I'm fine with either way really...]

[Dammit... this girl is going to make me die. Fine, I don't need your help,  
so consider this an opportunity to see how the hero work is really done.]

With haste, both of the defenders rushed towards the point both of the streets met.  
It was a wider section, one that could hold much more monsters at once. Not surprisingly,  
that also meant that bigger monsters were also able to move freely, which posed a huge problem.

[Are you the last guys? Why did you run away from your post? You reckless fools,  
you are going to doom us all! If we needed your help you would have called, but now it's too late.  
Even if we lost our point, we can still hold here. I already send for reinforcements to cut them off.]

[That fine, you guys can leave if you want, I can handle this solo.]

Before the knight girl was able to speak, the cheeky boy took the initiative and spoke words of overconfidence.  
It was doubtful whenever he would be able to take out all of the enemies at once. With a smirk on his face,  
and without listening to others, he took his stance, awaiting for the enemy to appear in sight.

[You might want to move back, you know. You can't really take the bigger ones.]

[Don't tell me girl what to do, I'm perfectly fine with beating them one on one.]

[Here it comes!]

A giant ogre, the most ugly and scary kind, entered the street with no regards to its surroundings.  
Tables, chairs, windows and signboards were flying in the air as the monster charged at the party.  
With quick movement, Titania stood in its direction, blocking the blow with her giant sword.

[Say behind me and attack this thing!]

But those that heard those words were in the air, blasted by the sheer power of that monsters charge.  
Only a few were still on the ground, including the small, dual wielding swords boy. It was his chance now.  
The boy quickly moved behind the monster and attack it blind side, hoping his damage will be high.

[Take it all I have, you ugly!]

Unfortunately, just as the hits connected, the monster turned and used his hand to attempt to grab the boy.

[Not happening.]

Hastily the boy used his own grab, parrying the hand with his own, allowing him to continue his attack.  
Unfortunately, as the skin of the monster turned into a stone like grey his attacks were no longer effective.  
It was like hitting stone with metal, the swords did not visible damage, bouncing off with a metallic sound.

[Dammit, this is the after-grab protection. Someone has to grapple it.]

Saying so the boy did not notice that the smaller monsters, the one that followed Titania, were now only inches away.  
The two, quickly found themselves surrounded by enemies and in front of a giant ogre. This wasn't hopeless yet,  
as the knight felt what was the right thing to do. It was a daring attempt, but worth it if successful, she thought.

[Okay, we have to deal with the adds first. Don't attack the big one yet.]

[What are you going to do?]

[I'm going to tank all of them.]

[Are you crazy? You can't take all that damage, you will die in seconds. Also,  
I'm pretty sure that if you took down the boss first, you would be able to survive.  
But do what you want, good luck with that. As for me I'm planning on surviving myself.]

The Rogue was getting ready to dash away as quickly as possible; however he was stopped midway,  
there was just too many monsters in his way. At the same time, Titania took the gamble and raised her sword.  
Her body was emanating with blue energy and as she pulled the sword down, a black sphere appear above her,  
pulling all the monsters towards her. With great pain, she was struck again and again with a giant club.

[Don't worry... about me... just take down the adds...]

She said choking blood. Each strike brought her vitality lower and lower, as she brought down to her knees.  
She was losing her strength but not determination. She did not move from her place, nor did she waver.   
This was not just to defend others, but also to prove to herself that there is something that only she could do.

[You know boy... I don't need your help... to become a hero!]

Her yell still echoed through the streets, filling everyone nearby with great courage.   
Even though they were hurt, people that were still alive gave a cheer, and rushed to Titania.  
Her sacrifice was not in vain it seems, as many came to her side and charged at the monsters.

[See little boy... who's the hero now?]

[You can't do nothing but take damage and shout. What kind of a hero are you?]

[Nothing huh? How about... this!]

To everyone's shock, Titania, who was hurt the most, charged straight for the big monster, knocking away smaller ones.  
She firmly grappled him long enough for a fellow Tank to use their grapple skill in a combination attack.  
With a mighty swing of the spear, the ogre was thrown into the air. Afterwards, as she jumped herself into the air…

[This is my skill!]

She suplexed the beast hard into the ground, probably cracking not only the bones in its skull.  
This was a sign for others to charge through the remaining monsters, united by one single banner.  
Her bravery was immeasurable; no one knew how many lives she has saved that night.

[Yea... pretty impressive miss tank, unfortunately I have no time, see you later.]

[Ye buzz off you prick, I'm going back to my post, you can do whatever.]

After being healed by the Priests, Titania returned to her post. However, the battle was not over yet.

===

[This is the time we charge and claim victory. If not now, we shall never truly be victorious.  
If not now, we shall never taste true freedom. If not now, we shall forsake everyone's effort so far.  
Thus we can't waver, we have to be strong and charge right into this monstrosity. Now everyone, charge!]

I was riding my bike, as usual, feeling the freedom of the wind in my face and body. Something was different however,  
I wasn't running away, I was moving forward; and straight at something dreadful. Was this the thing I was running away?  
Will I be able to defeat it? Whichever was the answer I was about to learn it for myself pretty soon... It's been ages.

Behind me, an army of men with the same determination as me. I led them to the truth and they came along me.  
I wasn't someone who was their leader though; I was someone who they were willing to follow. Knowing so,  
I couldn't look back and disappoint them. I had to be the hero not just for myself, not just for friends, but for all.

This was my destiny given by the goddess Lunar, who I didn't know much about. She was still a mystery,  
but despite not knowing I trusted her. It was thanks to her grace that we succeeded in materializing the invisible threat.  
Thanks to our plan, we created a narrative in which the wishes to save world materialized into existence.

[There it is! First party, protect the siege engines!]

Thanks to everyone’s effort we managed to make the giant monster appear, and thus we were able to fight it now.  
Partially submerged into the ocean, it was gigantic; it was almost as big as the entire city. Its body of a snake gave birth to nightmares.   
It had hundred heads, each one as big as a house. Its breath was prudish, one that would instantly cause nausea.

Perhaps it was not as scary at it looked, the beast did not move or attempted to attack the city directly.  
It somehow seemed peaceful in comparison to all the monsters that were occupying the city. Maybe not now,  
but we had to deal with them too in due time. We also didn't know how many survivors are still trapped in the city.

[A wave of monsters is approaching, do not let slow you!]

Various types of beasts were closing on my position. I think I counted about four hundred, but I was never good at math.  
In any case, I wasn't going to stop and fight them, I had to push forward and attack the giant snake creature myself.  
That dragon was my only goal as the hero, or so I thought. How exactly I was supposed to slay it I didn't know.

And so, our forces split. The main force which consisted of mounted units slowed down and gave space to the tanks.  
Doing so, they took the monster forces and contained them for us. We were now free to advance further into their ranks.  
At the same time, as soon as the siege machines were ready, a rain of heavy boulders bombarded the sea creature.

[Damn... is there no effect? We can't aim any closer; we might hit our own unit.]

That was right, TSA and Anti-TSA joined forces, we were no longer fighting for just one side, but for all humans.  
It also reminds me of that all of my friends might be inside, trapped in the city. That's why I have to be quick.

[Hey! Wolf! Go go go!]

[Yes... Go Wolf!]

[I believe in you Wolf! You can do it!]

From beyond the flames and fumes, the little girls’ trio was cheering for me. It was Hina, Pina and WRose respectably.  
Knowing that they are fine filled me with warm and made me smile a little. I can't let them down, especially WRose.

[Confirming sight... Match complete.]

[Hey Wolf, about time? Don't worry about us.]

Further down the road, another pair of familiar faces showed themselves. This time is was the robot and Darku.  
I don't know much about that robot, even if he still looks cool, but Darku was a dear friend of mine.  
With his support I was able to overcome obstacles I wouldn't be able alone. Thank you, you really are a solid pal.

[Hey don't just look here, focus on the road!]

[Wow... you must be glad seeing me too right?]

Finally, near the main entrance stairs, albeit a little beat up, Titania and Anti-Wolf stood.  
I must say, they are both really good at what they do; I'm impressed by their skill.  
This means however that I must give my all too. I won't disappoint you, I won't disappoint anyone!

[Faster! I have to go faster!]

Raving up the handle, I increased the speed as much as it was possible. But then something happened,  
the bike literally gained a mind of its own. It was extremely fast and furious, like a mustang in the wilds.  
However, I did not waver. With the strength of everyone that believed in me... I pressed the pedal to the metal.

I accelerated even faster, while gripping as hard as I could. I managed not to fall but I could no longer turn or steer my direction.  
The only thing I could feel was that I became one with the wind. Perhaps it was a jumping pad I drove over, but now,  
I was no longer on the ground; I was flying, still mounting the seat of my mustang. This was perhaps how true freedom feels like.

[Freedom... for everyone!]

I raised my sword high in the air, my other hand on the handle. Suddenly, a bolt from the heavens struck my blade,  
imbuing it with godly power. I was on a collision course with the giant sea serpent, and there was no stopping it.  
This is when I realised what charged me with all that power, my friends who I have met. I became the lighting.

Whatever did happen afterwards was a mystery to me. Potentially, I slashed my sword at the monster,  
or perhaps it took a few swings, or perhaps it was the people who did the final blow to the dragon.  
My consciousness was hazy, almost like possessed by someone. But when I woke up everything became clear.

[Wolf, arise from your slumber, I call thee.]

And I was reborn, as a person who became a hero. Before me the giant beast laid, all of its hundred heads.  
Above that monstrosity, a white figure, known by the name Lunar, was descending from the sky, the Moon was behind her.  
Filled with the light of the Moon, the goddess opened her mouth, and words came out spreading through the entire city.

[It is by the human hands and effort that this despicable beast was slain. However it might sound worrying,   
it was also by the hands of humans that this beast came into existence. Listen well oh children of men,  
it is up to you if beast will be given form again. I beseech you for all my good will, change your ways,  
improve upon yourself, break away from the cycle and become reborn, not in lies but in the light of truth.]

The goddess, finishing her speech, rose back to the heavens, taking the moon along with her.  
The dragon below her turned into a mass of light that was drawn towards the atmosphere.   
With the brilliance spreading on the sky, the darkness dissipated and made room for the sun.   
Once again, not due the light that was reflected, we saw the world in its true brightness.

[We did it? This is...]

Before I came to senses, everyone started shouting and raising their hands in euphoria.  
They cheered my name "Wolf, the hero" even though I wasn't sure why. All my friends were there as well,  
running towards me. I wasn't quick enough to escape; they all surrounded me with a warm hug.

[Wolf! I knew you could do it! *smack*]

WRose, the smallest of them somehow got to me the quickest.   
After jumping on me, she gave me a quick kiss on the check.

[Wow Wolf, you actually did! I was rooting for you!]

Titania, who didn't need to jump, also gave me a small smooch on the other check.

[Well I'm glad to you alive after all this.]

Darku, who came in last only enfolded his hands over me. Now, that I gave up my freedom completely,   
I had all three of them around me. I can't say I wasn't happy, but in the end what Lunar said worried me.  
Even if we did create this beautiful world, and defended it, would we be able to defeat the dragon again?

Time will only tell. Even if it comes, we will be ready. If we did it, we shall do it again,  
until it perishes completely. If anything, the power is within our words, not inaction.  
Thus if necessary I will unite everyone and deal with the problem as it arises. 

I'm going to make people believe in themselves, I'm going to become their Hero.


	10. Chapter 10

=== Chapter 10 [Seed]

It was bright and sunny. Around me an array for colourful trees and shrubs I never saw before.  
Pink Cherry blossom, the violet Jacaranda, the red Delonix regia, the yellow Genista lydia, and many more.  
Although it was hot, the flowers bloomed as if it was spring. In this fantastic land you could fell like inside of a book.

My nostrils were filled with the sweet scent of the nature around me; my feet were gently caressed by the foliage.  
I was walking through an enchanting garden, as if I was taken away to a different world entirely.  
With only the branches and leafs as my sky, I was secluded from anything that would be binding me.

Even though this place was just a desert a few days ago, now it was a completely different landscape.  
All thanks to the desires and will of people who made this possible. All thanks to those who wanted to save the world.  
This piece of land now served as the sacred grounds for those who desired recreation for mind and body.

[Say Wolf, isn’t this beautiful? I think I could stay here and forget about the outside entirely.  
It is as if this miniature garden was a whole different world inside of this one. Quite magical, right?  
All it takes is one step and you are on the other side, just like in a fairy tale, right? Hey Wolf…]

Besides me was the most beautiful flower of them all, the pure white bouquet who was called WRose.  
She was like the manifestation of innocence and delicacy, the symbol of unspoiled sweetness.  
With her delicate feet she was taking short steps, each sound of her little shoes echoed in my ears.

It was as if I was the prince who was supposed to save her, but she instead enchanted me with her magic.  
I was compelled to do as she pleased. With her eyes reflected in mine, were not longer mine alone.  
My hand that held hers was no longer mine alone. My heart which was synchronizing to hers was no longer mine alone.

Was this because of that day, were she sealed us together with a kiss, I wonder? I felt strange,  
as if my mind did not belong in this scene, in this body. I was just an observer, someone who is far from an actor.  
And to say the least, I also become the hero of this world, the one that is able to save everyone but himself.

[Hey Wolf, what are you thinking about lately? You did save this world and that the vote to come out in our favour.  
There is no threat of Net Neutrality being abolished, so you should smile and rejoice too right?  
Even this place was created due your plan, remember? You asked people to plant trees and…]

[Yes… I did that and other things.]

Thinking about that battle now, I was unsure what has happened during my final battle with the Dragon.  
I did slay it in the end and Lunar took it to the heavens, along with making it bright again.  
That is also what others said to me, but I felt like there was something more. Perhaps it was the lighting that…

[I was really worried that you would not return in time, that you wouldn’t find a way to save the world…  
I knew that we had to simply believe, that our efforts in saving the city was also not to be squandered.  
Knowing that we also had a role filled me with hope, and gave me a reason to fight the darkness.  
Eventually, the monster appeared piece by piece, and then you appeared with an entire army.]

That’s what happened more or less. The monster was initially invisible, we had to make it visible first.  
To do that, we had planted the trees in this world as well as in the other one. Thanks to everyone’s effort,  
we managed force the beast into existence, possibly with the power of the words and Lunar.

[You were so brave Wolf, like a real Hero! I’m really glad that I have met you and for all our time together.  
I must say, I was mistaken at first, thus I want to apologize again. I really did change for the better, right Wolf?]

She stared at me looking for an answer, but I did not think of a good one, and stayed silent looking away.  
In our horizon came a small house surrounded by a pond. In the middle of it a bamboo tree with tanzaku handing from it.  
Pointing with her hand, WRose and I walked over the bridge and found ourselves near it.

[This is everyone’s wishes huh? I think it is too early for Tanabata but I think we should place ours too Wolf.  
This would be like when lovers put padlocks onto the bridge to make their relationship last forever right?  
Here, if you don’t have anything to write on, I should have some paper in my inventory.]

WRose took out two small pieces of paper, gave one to me and started scribbling on the other one.  
I remember that she did collect pamphlets from shops, thus I think those pieces were just blanked leaflets.  
In any case, I had to think about my wish, while she already decided on hers. What is my wish…

[There, all we need to do is to hang them onto the tree. Are you done Wolf or do you need more time?]

[What… what did you wish for?]

I was still confused to what I actually wanted from others and the world. I became a hero,  
I made everyone happy, especially WRose. I don’t have any other desires myself either.   
Therefore, I wouldn’t change anything, I only wish for this moment to last as long as it can.

[What did I wish for Wolf? Well it’s simple, for this world to transfer my wish onto the other.  
Would you be able to say that with the power of words and Lunar humans are able to shape the other world as well?  
It would be wonderful to live in a world that can be shaped with your own words. That’s the world I wished for.]

===

A little while later, I was back in Maremoda, the town that was attacked by the Dragon just recently.  
Surprisingly, there was no sign of the battle taking place; every building looked as if it was brand new.  
Not even the boulders fired by the siege machines were left in the ocean. It was quite surprising.

[Hey Wolf, I need to talk to you about something. Do you have a minute?]

[Sure, what is it?]

Titania, who was also looking quite refreshed, waved a hand and asked me politely for my time.  
We usually talked about stuff related either to relationships or the other world. She was always cheerful though,  
I never really knew why, and I didn’t want to know. My general rule is not to ask too many questions.

[Check this out, someone is organizing a tournament! I guess they were bored with the war and stuff,  
this is our chance to test out our skills right? There are positions for solo, duo and four man teams.  
You are interested in signing up for it right? I don’t want to force you but since we have a four man…]

[I understand, I will think about it.]

But quite honestly, I wasn’t all that interested in PvP. It takes a lot of my patience to work with others.  
I have to be always looking at what others are doing, and if they are doing things the right way.  
It really frustrates me when someone does something wrong and then the entire party is defeated and…

[You don’t need to think, I already signed us up! I was just asking if you want to go solo or duo.]

[I see… thanks for not asking.]

Well I guess I would not be able to run away from this either. A PvP tournament huh?  
With our balanced team we should be able to take out most of the competitors,  
but the problem is that we might need… but we do have WRose who can change between Wizard and Priest.

[No need to thank me, just enjoy for now, okay? I’m sure we will be having a blast either way!  
Also, we should definitely train for it as well, you up for some training here and now Wolf?]

[I decline…]

[I see, you are confident in my abilities right? ehe~ let’s wait for others then, after that we could find a sparing team.  
I bet there is someone in the arena right now practicing too, so I’m going to tell everyone that we will be meeting here okay?  
Also, before I forget to tell you, I won’t be long for today because I’m meeting my boyfriend today so…]

[That’s fine, I don’t need to practice.]

But in truth, I would have rather not participated at all.

[Well okay then… Wolf. But don’t be like ”I wished I had trained more” when we lose or something.]

Titania winked as she was leaving for the opposite direction. However, at that time there someone else who was looking.  
From the stairs, a small boy jumped down all of the sudden. This was no other than Anti-Wolf, the person impersonating me.  
I didn’t know what was his deal with me or the knight girl but he looked like he wanted to talk.

[I see you have signed up as well? Then we will surely be meeting together at some point, if you make it that far.  
I must say, we haven’t finished out duel Wolf, thus this will be a great opportunity for me to prove that I’m superior. ]

[I’m sorry Ablie, Wolf is not interested in solo, so you will have to just cheer for him from the benches.]

[Wait what? You… I will get you sometime!]

Suddenly I got stared at. He was only trying to be scary, the little boy he was.

[Hey, you should be glad he is even willing to participate at all. I don’t think he is a big fan of PvP,  
I’m not either. In any case, now that you are here, how about a duel Albie? We both need to train,  
so this will be an excellent opportunity to master our skills right? I’m ready when you are.]

[Sorry, but I don’t need practice.]

Wait, did he just repeated my words? This guy really knows how to irritate me.

[How so? Do you have like a special talent that you can use to automatically win? Hey, can you share it with me?  
ehehe~ just kidding, I don’t believe in just having a talent, you got to train to actually benefit from it.  
Thus I’m just saying, but you should take that as an advice from a friend okay? We are totally friends right?]

[Right… but you are missing another point. Why to get good at something such pointless as PvP?  
This is still just a game; it has rules that can change with each patch. There is no reason to improve your skill on it,  
that’s just waste of time you could be using for something productive, other than video games.

Well that was a low blow for Titania, she clearly got angry with her fists clutched.

[Okay boy, you say there is no reason to become a better player? And yet you think of yourself as good in this game.  
Let me tell you this, even if people say that it’s pointless, even if people say that it’s useless for you,  
don’t just give up. If you think that your efforts are not going to be rewarded in the future, think again.  
You can’t say that the abilities you master will never prove useful, and even if they aren’t you just have to make them useful.]

The boy changed his expression to surprise, looked down and spoke. 

[You are right…]

Raised his head up, he instantly changed his expression again and sarcastically smiled.

[Then good luck with your video games, I’m going to do something that actually pays.]

[What a…]

Before Titania could grab the boy, he was already out of her reach.

===

[Fancy meeting you here Roberto. I recon you are looking for Titania right?]

[We did have an appointed meeting yes, but that’s about it.]

While I was looking around the town for something, I met up with the pony tail girl’s boyfriend.  
He looks smashing as always, I wonder if he looks like that in the other world as well.  
In any case, he didn’t look like he was in a hurry so I decided to stay for a little while.

[I was looking for a certain item but couldn’t find it anywhere. Is it okay if I took a little break with you?  
I’m a little curious about what are you thinking about her. Also, we have met during the mermaid city trip, remember?  
My name is Darku, it’s a pleasure to meet you too. Anyway, can I have a seat next to you?]

I talked too fast, as if I was talking with a close friend. Maybe I just got used to this way of talking with everyone?

[Oh yea, I remember now. You are that girl who didn’t have a partner and was left alone? I’m sorry about that.  
In any case, you are Titania’s female friend right? You must be talking a lot about girly stuff with her.  
I would not mind if you shared a little bit about her too, you know. Just don’t tell her this is a date or something.]

[Right… that would be awkward.]

What is more awkward is that I ended up taking up the female friend role involuntary. Not to break the mood,  
but what do I know about Titania’s girly stuff? She likes to hug me and she likes certain jokes.  
That’s all I can think of… Well it’s not worth sharing so I guess I would have to improvise maybe?

[Well, we are just playing this game together, and I’m glad about that. She doesn’t usually talk much,  
probably because she doesn’t feel like it, but she’s always cheerful and helpful.  
I don’t want to talk about her bad sides though; she would hate me or something.]

[I see… that’s fine too. I must say, that’s about what I expected to hear, thus I’m not disappointed.  
Say, maybe you can share something about yourself? Are you looking for a boyfriend or something?  
If you are from the same school as Titania I could hook you up. I’m actually not going to same school as her thus…]

[I see, that’s fine… I mean I’m fine with that. I had a boyfriend once, a long while ago but we broke up.  
He was always nagging about not being enough romantic or that he wanted to take the relationship to the next level…]

Ups… I started talking about my ex all of the sudden. On top of that, I switched her genders too.

[Hey, that’s fine; you can talk about your boyfriend with me. I don’t mind, please continue.]

Unconsciously, I lowered my head and got red on my cheeks a little. I think this was my VR experience showing.  
In any case, I also didn’t want to talk too much about my girlfriend, more or less because I didn’t feel like it.  
I still haven’t send her my reply, thus I was just getting worried every time this topic returned.

[Yea… I feel like talking too much would be saddening, so I better not. That’s fine right?]

[Well, I and Titania talk a lot about this stuff. It is necessary to speak your mind before you get lost in thought.  
When you have things to say but you don’t vocalize them, it creates a distance. It might be just Titania,  
but she is not good with walls, she would rather break them with her own head if you know what I mean.]

I kinda do, remembering what she said back inside the ghost ship. She is more of a person that challenges problems head on,  
rather than ran away from them. That’s unlike the past me, I used to just to ignore my problems until I forgot them,  
but that was the wrong thing to do. I think that the present me should listen to what he has to say about my ex girl friend.

[I agree, that’s totally like Titania. However, may I ask you a question first?]

[Like how long we have been together or where we did meet for the first time?]

[That’s probably online right? A few weeks ago?]

[Right! How did you know?]

I guessed actually… it’s not hard to guess that you guys only meet online.

[Anyway, I wanted to ask you a question. You see, I have been with my Ex for a very long time.  
We played VR games together and then we broke up. There was no reason; we just get bored of each other.  
Recently, he sent me message that asked me if we could meet together in the other world. I haven’t replied yet…]

[I see… in that case I would say that you probably should meet with him. I’m not saying to actually date,  
but rather see how they were doing all this time. I’m just a high schooler, but I guess you are a little older than us right?  
I might be not the right person to say this, but I think if you just show a gesture to others, that helps.]

Well, he does certainly want the best for Titania, but then again I don’t think he understands her fully.  
About what he said though… he did sound like me when I started playing this game. I can’t help friends,  
I am only going to damage them if I say anything. I’m not like that anymore, so I think he is right.

[Right… I agree. I’m going to contact him as soon as I can. Thank you for the advice. I’m going to run now,  
before Titania spots me with her big hands. I will be seeing you guys later, okay?]

[Right, feel free to talk anytime.]

What a nice guy… I would be probably dating him as well if I was a girl… what a strange feeling.

===

[You said you were going to help me right? Well, I’m not going to ask for much, so don’t worry.  
All I want is you to stand and model, you can do that right? I won’t take any secret screenshots either okay?]

The little girl has been caught into the cutting fox girl’s trap, and is now forced to do her bidding.  
Because of the sister of the girl behind the scheme is now during rehabilitations, she is unable to help.  
Thus the role of the dressing up doll falls onto the young brave girl who usually wears white.

[I’m not sure if that’s a good idea… you can use just a mannequin right? I would be glad if you did actually.]

[Don’t say that, you know that when Pina models she doesn’t say anything. I thought she actually liked that,  
but I was wrong. I’m glad that she finally said that though… and that you saved us both during that time.  
But think about this in a different way, you are not helping me, but Pina. That changes everything right?]

However, even with those skillfully crafted words, the petite model lass was not fully convicted.   
She was worried mostly about what was going to happen, because she could only imagine what kind of work Pina was put through.  
That being said, the workshop of Hina was painted in gentle soft blue and yellow, there was single folding screen and a lot of boxes.

[It’s quite convenient that you don’t really require a lot of stuff to work on clothes in this world right?  
I never did crafting to this extent so I would not know. Anyway, those boxes are full of clothes right?]

[Sorry, those are mostly materials. How crafting clothes work is that you must first create a 3d model in a program.  
After you are done, you upload them and put into screening process. If they get accepted, they are made into an item.  
However, you can still just upload anything to see how it looks in this world, but that’s only limited to crafting rooms.  
Also before you ask, no you can’t put work in progress items on mannequins, so you need an actual model, sorry.]

[I see… so that’s why Pina was needed all this time right? But why not test them yourself?]

[A model is better than looking at the mirror, right? I mean I can hardly tell sometimes if the bones are acting properly,  
but that’s not your worry now. I have a several design ideas I was making for the shrine, so please enjoy.]

Picking up a few small checker patterned shirts, the clothier girl handed over them to the other girl.  
Using the screen, the shy and delicate girl hidden behind it, and started looking at the items she received.  
There was no way to tell them apart, they were all just freeform design patterns that were not yet accepted as items in this world.

[I can’t tell them apart! Is that fine?]

[Yes, you just need to equip them as usual. Don’t worry, I didn’t make anything inappropriate. *wink*]

Said the girl on the other side of the folding screen. She was clearly joking,   
as there was no reason for her to make something like that.  
She was in fact doing business by making clothes, thus she had to abide by some rules.

[Hey… this is okay? I don’t know what is this…]

[They are all alterative shrine maiden outfits. Ever since the great battle, Lunar’s popularity exploded.  
A lot more people visit our shrine now, so I thought we should also invest in making they fit the theme more.  
I already made the pavement like the Moon surface, you don’t get the same gravity but there is a small poof then you step on it.]

For a moment the room went into silence. After a second, a sound of wood tapping against the wooden floor was heard.

[I could… only imagine how you would move in this outfit…]

[Ah you changed? Let me look okay?]

Reluctantly, the timid girl walked from outside the screen’s protection and showed her figure to the other.  
She was shaking a little, unknowing how to properly walk in the shoes she received. Her body and hands swaying back and forward,   
her expression flushed and with eyes fully open. She wanted to maintain balance, trying her best not to trip.

[Okay, I see you are really into this! I need to see if there are any clipping issues first so hold on this chair.]

[W… what is this? This supposed to be a shrine maiden outfit right?]

[That is correct, but you must say I have really did hit the spot with right?   
My goal was to incorporate the image of a bunny into the image of a shrine maiden.  
Thus I had several ideas, but this one I like the best! I mean you can still try the rest but…]

[This is fine… Thanks I can stand now. Honestly, are those clogs required? I would be glad…]

[For a small girl like you, they are. *wiggle* And by that I mean I had to somehow keep the image of a bunny girl too.]

Heeled red clogs with high moon-like surface soles, white fishnet tights, waist-high short red hakama pants with the middle part reaching to hips,  
a bunny girl-like leotard top, complete with a bunny tail in the back, a long sleeve shrine maiden top over the bunny corset,  
tuckered into the hakama, grayish hop rabbit ears and a small gohei with a rabbit symbol imbedded near the tip.

[Here let me give you a mirror. It looks great right? I had several designs that included hakamas cut in the middle,  
but that was too little bunny like. I then completely removed the skirt and that was to little shrine maiden like.  
So I thought I would go in the middle and have pants. These pants are the shorter version, but it’s cute too right?  
It almost looks like a bunny leg doesn’t it? Also a tip about standing, you should keep your legs together.]

[Like… this?]

[Yes! That’s the pose! Can you hold it for a while? Another discovery that I made was the bottom actually works pretty well.  
If you place your fingers on your thighs and connect your thumbs, you should form a half-circle. Can you try that?]

[S..Sure]

And so, the gullible girl, bend down her back while keeping her uneasy hands on her upper thighs.  
It was strangely manageable for her, as if she was born as a model. However, that just the beginning,   
After a couple of bows like that she learned how to properly control her balance while standing and walking.

[Okay, so I wanted to test if there are any clipping issues when you bend and bow.  
Shrine maidens have to do that all the time, so it’s important for this to work properly.]

[This is… nice to hear. I’m also able to relate more to Pina now…]

[You got used to it though, quicker than her, so you’re good girl. Anyway, I also have something for you.  
Here, I made those accessories just in case; they supposed to be merchandise for our store,  
but I made them with you in mind. Why not try them on with that outfit? I bet you will be even cuter *ihihi*]

The modeling girl took little items from the hand of the fox girl and put them close to her chest.  
In a flash of light, several items appeared attached to her outfit. There was an abla flower with white strings,   
placed on the wrist seams on her shirt and the lower ends of her hakana skirt, a lunula on her neck,   
with an image of a rabbit pounding mochi on the moon, and a white cereus broach above her left rabbit ear.

[Hey, this looks actually quite fitting with your hairstyle! I thought that shrine maidens should have long hair,  
but now I think we should definitely make it fancier too. What do you think Rose? Can you give me some tips?]

[Um… this looks too cute…]

[Gush! Come here so I can pet you!]

Suddenly and without warning, in the first time of her life, the bunny pretending girl felt like a real bunny.  
She remembered the words of her friend, about how the ears are connected to Synapse. It was a strange,  
yet calming and gentle stroke on her head. Even though a little embarrassed, she soon got used to it.

===

[Well, I’m not sure what to expect from life in all honestly, I know that making living out of selling good online is a little silly,  
but at least I’m having fun. I don’t consider this as a full time job, even if it actually takes a lot of time.  
I want to at least continue doing things like this. I could find a job myself in 3d modeling, probably, but would that be as fun?]

The two girls, finishing their share of modeling work, enjoyed a warm cup of tea on the terrace.  
The weather was slowly moving, the wind blew gently and the ocean was peaceful. The sun was slowly setting,  
it was a perfect time for a rest after a day of hard work, the white wearing though, as she sipped her cup.  
She still had her lop rabbit ears and the flower broach she got as a present from her friend. 

[You are an artist too right? I don’t know how much I can help with finding a job, but I can help you in this game somehow.  
For example I could buy your stuff if you don’t find too many buyers. Sure, that might slow me in the process,  
but I care more about you than getting a high end gear honestly. Also, it is quite ridiculous how the grind…]

[I must agree, it is survival on day-to-day basis out there. So many artists doing the same things again and again,  
and that includes me. I don’t have a good mind to creating something original; I usually just copy from someone.  
Like with this bunny shrine maiden outfit, I looked up if there was anything similar before I started doing anything.]

[No that’s fine Hina, when you think about it; your brain needs stimulation to connect the dots for you.  
I know because I made music, and that requires you to invent your own kind of sounds sometimes.  
Furthermore, I really enjoyed music because I can relate to other musician by creating lyrics.]

[I can understand that, but my art is different, I just create so things in order to tell them.  
I might not understand fashion at all, because that doesn’t really matter to me.  
Saying so, I also do want to make people happy, and that’s another reason to why I try hard.]

Listening to the tender sound of waves crashing in the distance, bathing in the escaping sunlight,  
the two creator girls looked at each other with an their eyes deep into each other. They were pondering,  
not only about each other, but about their futures as well. The sun was setting down and it soon became dark.

[Say Rose, I haven’t heard about you and Wolf much. I’m not going to lie; boys are the least of my interests,  
but you seem to be having fun right? I kinda want to know your reason for dating him.]

[Oh I see, we are doing really well actually. He’s usually someone who doesn’t talk much to others,  
so it’s hard to see what is he thinking about at times. But I don’t date him because I feel pit or something,  
I really do like him and I feel that he like me as well. The problem is… when I’m all lovey-dovey he turns off.]

[I see, he lacks the romantic side? What a pity indeed, but I will root for you! I mean if that’s true love then…]

[Yes… true love…]

A little slyly, the Priest girl admitted with her delicate face sunken into her shrug. Her heart beat rose,  
her pupils widened and her hands found their rest on her thighs. The fox girl took her cup down,  
and took out a notebook out of her inventory. It had a cutesy yellow design and a locker.

[If you say true love then how about this? It’s something that I have been busy with lately.]

[Is this… a wedding dress design? You must be kidding…]

[I’m speaking figuratively here okay? I know one day he might say yes, but that’s not the point here.  
I wanted to have your opinion on those pieces. I made them for a friend, but never showed to anyone else.  
You should be fine with it right? Sorry for asking you so suddenly, it just popped up in my head when you said love*wiggle*]

The mischievous fox girl, knowing very well she made up the reason on the spot, tried to build courage for her friend.  
Her plan was to discover is the white wearing girl was truly in love by showing her the wedding dress designs.   
If that was indeed so, the logical next step would be marriage, though that act meant very little in this world.

[So you know, I have been thinking about designs that fit into the location. For example, this white dress,  
it is especially designed to fit through the tight corridors and streets. This one is if you want to hold the wedding at a shrine.  
And this one is thinking ahead, but I do believe that a mermaid wedding would be a very fun thing to do, right?]

[Mermaid wedding… certainly that would be possible in this world…]

The little girl was thinking about something different; she was in her own world, secluded from her friends.  
It was her that said “It is possible to make any dream into actuality, with the power of words.”  
That’s what Wolf made her believe at least; the one that also was the dearest to her heart.

[Hello sis… I’m back so I thought about…  
Oh Rose is here… did you enjoy modeling? ]

[Yes… in a way I did learn how hard is to model for your sister.]

[Hey, all pleasure was mine by the way, come in any time!]

[My sister found a rabbit to play with… I feel sorry for you too…]

Albeit a little forced, the fox girl giggled a little, while the other one on the terrace remained silent.  
Modeling wasn’t that bad, the rabbit ear wearing girl thought, as she was able to spend time with her friend.  
However, today her playtime was over, and she had to return to her own duties alone.  
Perhaps another day they would be able to spend more time and even party somewhere together?

===

Unfortunately, their days of fun encountered an unpleasant obstacle.

[Did you see Wolf? He did not login for a while now.]

Wolf, the reason why the girl was playing this game, left without a trance.  
It happened sudden and without a warning. Now, her days were without warmth,  
and without a purpose. She thought, because they are sisters they are okay,  
but I’m alone without Wolf, because he was the only one special for me in this world.

[Wolf is a hero and your boyfriend right? He wouldn’t just leave like that.]

With doubt in her words, Titania wanted to give her friend some comforting words.  
She was too however a bit worried that Wolf, despite his relationship, would not come back.  
Wolf was like a role model in a sense for her, but also a good friend.  
If she didn’t believe in him, she would have had forsake herself as well.

[I bet he was actual work now. People come back online, so don’t worry and give him time.]

Darku, with whom Wolf was friends, also missed his comrade.  
He however had no deeper connection with him so he did not miss him as much.  
All his experience told him that we will be back, eventually and definitely.  
That’s why he could wait days, weeks and even months until he will return.

But Wolf didn’t return, and with that, the party slowly lost the will to play the game.

…

On the hill, there was a small girl with a floral staff in her in her tiny hands.  
I was a beautiful landscape, full of trees and shrubberies of many colour.  
It was even too enchanting, as if not possible in reality; something seen only in a fairy tale.

[So Wolf… this is your garden, that’s what we named it.]

They say that people surround themselves with things they like, but for what reason?  
The beauty qualia is not just the visional and olfactory experience, it is more than that.  
It is the meaning behind the objects that is truly breathtaking. The girl desired that essence,   
so much that her breathing actually stopped. With her only able to speak one more word…

[Wolf…]

Was the word she chose to release. It is said that words in this world can bring birth to existence,  
thus will Wolf be created by the word the girl spoke? Perhaps it was not as simple; there was something else to it.

…

Dreams are things that both captivate and enchant our lives, they bring colour to the monochrome sky.  
But too much paint mixed together will change them back to their original shade. In order to make that not happen,  
we must look outside of the dream, through the eyes of a different person. Their reflection is able bring the colour back.  
Reflected in the eyes of green eyed girl, there is a black and white garden. The girl on hill sings her sorrows alone.


	11. Chapter 11

=== Chapter 11 "Straw men dance"

Welcome to the theatre, today we have three guests. We would be having four,  
but unfortunately I was not able to contact that person. With that aside,  
I want first to introduce our characters before we get to the main part.

I'm going to ask a few questions individually first, one person at a time.  
Let's start then. First question, can you tell something about yourself?

[Hello, I'm the player of the character WRose, and I'm basically your everyday person.  
I don't find anything special about myself, though that might be because I lack self-confidence.  
I used to work in IT and had several music projects that were really small and purely a hobby.]

So what do you currently?

[Currently I'm unemployed and not searching for work or education. Ever I did finish college,  
I have been trying to find a job I would enjoy. Unfortunately, everything I tried was a failure.  
The only job I managed to secure was a position of an Informatics Technical, although not officially.]

[The circumstances of that was that I was asked by my parent to help them with computers.  
I'm not really that knowledgeable when it comes to very specific things related to computers,  
but at least I was able to help with basic things. Yes, it is something I did because I was asked to.]

[Normally, I spend time pursuing my hobby, which is creating music with a few programs I self-learned.  
Nowadays there is a bunch of online tutorials and free audio synthesizer programs everyone can use.  
Thanks to that I was able to create a few pieces myself and enjoy creating music just like many other producers.]

[Even though it is a hobby, I take creating music very personally. My pieces are usually sad and melancholic,  
maybe that's why no one actually listens to them. Furthermore, when I try to listen to them I feel depressed.  
That's because they remind of me of my deepest and darkest thoughts, a history that can't be deleted from my memory.]

I see, that seems quite a nice hobby you have there, albeit quite dark and depressive.  
In any case, if you think so, then I can't force you to say otherwise. Unfortunately,  
I can't help you with getting a job, but look at the bright side, there are still video games right?

[Video games, although I don't play them a lot, are another way to cope with my depression.  
Even though I know in the end it is only a temporary medicine, that when I stop playing I fall deeper,  
I am able to fight against the urge for this simple pleasure, most of the times. Sometimes I give in…]

[Additionally, I play only online games that allow you communicate with other players.  
And even though I have friends online, they always lie when they promise to play a game with me.  
That's quite a downer, but as long as I meet one person in the game I can probably spend my time there.]

So tell me now, what do you expect from playing an online game? The connectivity between you and someone else?

[Yes, that is a very important aspect. I think when I talk with people about myself too much,  
I am only going to push away them from me. That's why I mostly keep silent until I know I can trust them.  
Furthermore, you could say that the real reason why I play MMOs is to dump my worries onto other people.]

This is why you started playing Unwritten? The MMO seems like an interesting genre,  
although it does require a lot of investment, both mental and time wise.

[Yes, I thought firstly that I wanted to play that game because of its features. I was greatly impressed,  
but I was worried that I would find myself alone in the world. I waited until the game got popular enough.  
Then my friends said they were playing the game so I have decided to buy it as well. I still had enough savings.]

[Unfortunately, it was as I feared, my friends didn't play that game for too long. When the second server opened,  
they split and eventually lost interest in playing the game at all. Thus, I was once again alone playing the game.  
However, by a mere chance perhaps, I was able to meet new friends and enjoy the game with them. A very dear friends.]

That's when you met Wolf right? Could you tell me what did Wolf mean to you?

[When I first met Wolf I wasn't sure what I should do. I felt a strange feeling, the feeling of loneliness and fear.  
That caused me to plead to him, so we could travel and play the game together. I was glad that in the end he agreed.  
He wasn't looking like a person that would normally say yes, but somehow he decided that I was good enough for him.]

[I treated him as my teacher at first, but I also noticed that he is not quick to trust people. Because of that,  
I wanted him to see in people potential, for him to break away from being a loner; a sad person like myself.  
I did manage to change his opinion on friends, but eventually I think I went too far. I wanted to make him my man but...]

But that didn't work out? That's fine, Wolf was just that of guy after all.

[Yes, eventually I realised that I was the one that actually needed to change, to transform into something else.  
Thus thanks to my friends I was able to gather courage and be true to myself. It was just in game however,  
nothing actually changed in reality. This is why even a slightest of hope of change in real life was precious for me.]

That's why you believed Wolf when he explained about words and world codependency right?

[With how he explained things I had doubts, but in the end I believed in him. There were several reasons for that.  
For example, he knew about the lake and its connection to Lunar. That alone made his other statement more creditable.  
Sooner or later, all pieces fell into place and his story about Words that can create existence made a lot of sense.]

But you also had a particular reason to why you believed him right?

[That is correct, my personal reason for believing him was that I would be also able to transform, thanks to words.  
If I used the words in a way that would transform me in reality as well, then at least I had hope. That hope alone...  
was enough for me to decide to live on. However, when Wolf left the game I lost all the light he granted me.]

That's very sad indeed, but tell me maybe, what was your actual wish, why did you need to transform?

[In my life I was always thinking about my role to others, what purpose I had in life. It is hard to say for myself,  
I'm always trying to search the answer, but in general I find that if my life started differently, I would be happy.  
An example of that is becoming an idol. If I was in the centre of everyone's attention I would be happy I think.]

[However that was never the case, as saddening as it sounds. Therefore, in order to be noticed by everyone,  
I wanted to become someone that people would look at. That alone would give me a reason to look for a way to transform myself.]

However, things didn't change at all right? You even used a voice changer and all...

[Technically it was voice synthesiser, I used my keyboard to type really fast to create my lines in the game.  
Additionally I had a program that transformed my voice into letters, so I eventually got used to that method.  
In any case, if I would have used my real voice I wouldn't be able to play how I wanted to play the game.]

The way you wanted to play the game? There was a specific reason to why you did that all?

[Yes, because my gender doesn't match with my expectation I pretend to be someone else online. That's fine,  
I say to myself, because I'm different than other people. I'm someone who has an impossible dream,  
a dream I can't get rid of. That's why I thought it was okay to deceive everyone. I still think so.]

[Every time I touch my body in reality I feel really disgusted. Thanks to my friends online for the first time in my life,  
someone actually made me feel like a little girl. It was just a game, but it felt quite authentic, all thanks to Synapse.  
I had pleasant dreams and nightmares, about becoming a girl, and about everyone learning how I was really.]

[But if it wasn't for Wolf, I wouldn't be able to cope with my online persona; It was he who really made me into a girl.]

I see, if you say so then it must be true right? That takes quite a bravery to admit that,  
even thought I was the one that wrote your script. I wish you luck though, we still have 2 more.

===

So now, the next interviewee, this time it's actually a girl!  
You guys must be surprised that girls actually play video games right?  
It's 2026, get on with the times already!  
Anyway, can you tell something about yourself first?

[Good morning everyone! I maybe just a high student but I'm always full of energy and stuff.  
Anyway, I played Titania, the beautiful and courageous knight, though she was more like a paladin right?  
So what do you want to know about me anyway? Don't ask about naughty things or you are going to jail.]

Well then, how about your school life? How old are you?

[I'm only seventeen years old, but you shouldn't ask a girl about her age you know? That aside,  
I'm attending my second year of high school and its pretty fun I must say. Really really fun!  
Is something that people force me to say through my grinding teeth. I really hate this school and this country.]

[The reason behind it all is that not only adults don't understand the youth nowadays,  
but the youth themselves are becoming like those corrupted adults. All I hear during break is...  
"Hey did you finish your homework?" or "You shouldn't waste your time on video games or something."]

[Is this even okay to consider this normal now? Because all I can think of is that they want to win,  
they want the success right away they leave the school. Everything is less important them their success.  
It must the current economy right? Everyone just wants to be on the top and step on the weak along the way.]

[That includes fake friendships and big meaningful words that are not backed up with actual actions.  
I'm normally a good person to others, but it really irks me when someone decides to become a fake friend,  
only because they need that person to make them feel better themselves. That's really twisted don’t you think?]

Yes... that's quite an interesting opinion here, I'm sure the viewers are glad to hear that.  
However, tell me more about your school life if you please. A person like you must have...

[Yes, I have lot things to say now, things I can't say normally. I'm a member of the school's track team.  
However, I don't like running and I'm not good at it either. I'm usually in the reserve, so it's kinda sad.  
But the reason I joined in the first place was to get good at something, I thought this was easy at first.]

[However, as soon as I noticed how much effort others were giving into such a simple sport,  
I too got fired up and decided to do my best. Days of hard training was really tiring of course,  
but in the end, although I did improve a little, I have reached my limit that I wouldn't be able to pass.]

[The limit meaning, I couldn't run even faster like the other girls. Because of that I was angry,  
angry not at myself but at my creator. I had limits that I could not overcome, all because I lacked a talent.  
If I was able to do one thing at all, if I had one special ability, I would be able to accept myself in the end.]

And that ability is also connected to playing the MMO game Unwritten yes?

[Right, I played the hell out of that game and got really good at it. This really suck to know but...  
if there is one thing I am actually good at, it must be video games. Of course that is hardly a talent,  
at least for myself and others, thus I can't consider playing video games as a way of life personally.]

[That's what I thought up until I played Unwritten with Wolf. He was an okay player I do admit,  
however I quickly realised that he lacked the reflect and decision making of an pro. As for me,  
everyone always praised me for my skill, though I didn't thought I was actually good at the game.]

[Eventually when I fought against the horde of monsters attacking Maremoda, Albert told me so.  
He told me that I'm actually good at the game, in a way. Coming from someone as good as him,  
that was a huge compliment for me. I was glad that someone in my life actually said I have a talent.]

I see, so you played the game for fun, but you also enjoyed the praise from other players?

[Something like that yes. Although when Wolf actually left the game I was thinking what I should do next?  
Because it was clearly fun playing with him and the others, I wanted to continue playing and improving.  
But then I felt like there was no actual reason to get better at the game, now that Wolf was gone.]

[I have decided myself that I would quit the game and do something else, but that was a mistake.  
even my boyfriend said so. I felt a little empty and without doing the only thing I was good at.  
I asked Robie if he was able to help me find something gamer related, but he said it would be hard.]

[Thus I'm at this point now, I can keep trying to live my school life and continue doing things I'm not good at,  
or do something that I like and have talent for. I know someone who designed this world did not thought of people me,  
but at least I should be able to choose my own destiny right? I should be able to overcome my weakness...]

Right I think that be enough from you Titania, thanks you again for speaking.  
This is really getting interesting, right? Still this is just the first stage...

===

Our last interview today! After that we get to the main part.  
So people in the audience, welcome out last interviewee, Darku!  
Say, you should be able to tell something about you that's not depressing right?

[If you think so, I probably have to disappoint you. I played the character Darku in the MMO Unwritten,  
although the character was a female, I'm actually a guy. There is only one reason to why I was playing a girl,  
the female uniform school looked a lot better than the male uniform. Pretty simple right?]

[I'm not really all that against trying new things in virtual reality worlds, it's always fun.  
I have a history of playing those kinda games, so of course I picked up Unwritten. It looked amazing,  
like the possibility of an actual virtual world with game mechanics was my long time dream.]

[The previous generation of VR games was pretty basic. Yes, it allowed you to see a different world.  
Yes, there were certain controllers that allowed you to touch things in VR. However it lacked depth.  
Even when Synapse was invested, most of the games were just simulators of various kinds, including adult games.]

[What I was interested in was an open sand box VR games that allowed the users to create their own worlds.  
It was always interesting meeting people online and doing stuff that was not possible in real life.  
Although it may sound nostalgic, I feel like the years when I played VR games were the happiest time of my life.]

Still, you had other things to do than playing VR games right?

[That is correct, and although it is hard to explain, I had real life worries as well. My job is not standard,  
I get called by various companies for jobs including either programming or computer network related tasks.  
I may be a freelancer but my major was actually mathematics, I learned programming as a hobby on the side.]

[Furthermore, I have friends who I met online and in real life. We were pals ever since college,  
a very long time ago. I should be in my thirties now, so making new friends is quite hard to me,  
especially deeper relationships. This is why I'm glad I have friends that are always there for me.]

I see, so the reason why you started playing this game must be related to your friends right?

[Partially yes, but even so I decided something else. I wanted to break out from the cycle of the past,  
I wanted to enjoy the game for its novelty but ended up just comparing it the older games. It was painful...  
to learn that I actually started to play the game because of nostalgia not to fight against it.]

[I guess I wanted to become somewhat of an adult, someone who can make decisions despite emotions.  
But then a friend taught me that feelings are important, they are the arrow that leads to the destination.  
I was without destination when I started playing the game, I even left TSA to run away from the past.]

[As soon as I realised that was a mistake, I started to appreciate my past once again, thanks to G1 and Xyl.  
I know it's filled with bad memories of me and my GF, with whom I couldn't established a relation past VR,  
but there was a lot of good memories too. That actually reminds me... I still should reply to her letter...]

Right, but before you do, could you tell me about your involvement with Wolf?  
A guy like you must have had something common with the hero of the world right?

[Not particularly, he was kinda there and he was a friend, but I was involved with him only on day to day basis.  
When he shared a secret with us, I was not sure if I should believe him or not. However, he did had credibility,  
his theories had basis in the modern science. That's why I did trust him, although nothing more than that.]

So unlike others, Wolf wasn't anyone special to you right?

[I do agree that we formed a bond greater than you usually do in virtual games. I felt like I was talking with someone,  
someone who is not just a friend but someone deeper, a soul mate. That is, of course, why I enjoyed that game a lot.  
Comparing to my past video games, this was something that I wanted to experience for a long time, being a part of a story.]

I see, so Wolf created the story and you were a character in it?  
That's quite a small dream, but nevertheless, what did you do when Wolf left?

[When he left the game I started thinking about myself. I felt like it's about time for me as well, to leave the game behind.  
That would allow me to move on with my life, I thought. I had the courage and support from my friends but what was lacking was...  
I really wanted someone close to be at my life, someone like another part that would fill the blanks for me.]

[That of course is saying that I did search for a girlfriend in the game, but that didn't work out.  
This is why I have decided that I should have searching for a girlfriend outside of video games from the start.  
Regrettably, it seems that I had that wrong plan from the start, but that is the past now, I will manage somehow.]

Right, and good luck to you too! I sure hope that all of your dreams will come true someday.  
But now, we shall initiate our long awaited main feature! Everyone was waiting for this.

===

There was a great danger that would befall upon the world of men. Humans were scared,  
despaired and raised their hands to the heavens. If only a hero would appear,  
if only the darkness would be cleaned by light, they hoped upon their naivety.

Eventually one man appeared from the crowd, he claimed that he would lead them to victory.  
Giving hope and courage to others, the hero triumphantly marched the path to the beast.  
It was a fearsome dragon that could destroy the entire world if it wished so, but the hero was not scared.

Returning in glory, he claimed to have defeated the monster.  
Everyone came to the hero's side and cheered for him loudly and in joy.  
But in truth, he didn't slay the beast, even though he has said so.

The truth of this story was that he did in fact defeat the beast, but lacked the [Courage] to finish it.  
Because he wasted his [Gift] from the gods, the beast would be able to appear again at a later date.  
But that was the lie of the Hero that became the truth for the rest, creating this miniature [World].  
It is a world of dreams, the people where people escaped and will be living in until the dragon appears again.

L>Hello, this should be working. Please respond if it does.  
W>Is thin Lunar?  
D>Good morning.  
T>What is this?

For our grand finale tonight I had to set up a meeting between the three people I just introduced.  
I actually never interviewed them; I just collected information on them. At the current moment,  
I had a mobile device placed in a park for each one of them. It is currently the night of the full moon.

L>Yes, you are not mistaken that I am actually the one you call Lunar.  
L>But let me tell you more, I'm actually a real person, A GM of the game Unwritten.  
L>You must have played that game right? I didn't pick you all randomly.  
W>Huh? I don't understand.  
L>All in due time WRose, I need to explain everything from the begging then?  
T>Like hell you do! I mean you asked me to come alone to the park in the night...  
L>Very well. At our company, Avalon, we created various mechanics in the game.  
L>Obviously you were not able to see them, because we basically decided to make the game as cryptic as possible.  
L>For example, you don't get actually any files, all you get is a stream feed from our servers.  
L>This way there is no actual way to look into our coding. Thus when I say I'm Lunar...  
L>I mean I was the GM who played that character. Well to be precise I was told to.  
L>I'm actually a marketing person, so this might be a little bit outside of my expertise.  
D>In any case, I am not sure what are you talking about even.  
D>You have a reason to why you are telling us that?  
D>Because it is hard to believe as things are now.  
L>Right, I assume all will be clear once I tell you everything.  
L>You see, as a GM your power is invisible and you can interact with players.  
L>Of course I was told what to do, my job was to enlighten players, be kinda like their spiritual guide.  
L>Lunar's attributes were Rebirth and Change, Deceit and Falsehood, Ascension and Entitlement.  
L>That's basically what I told, I had no idea what to do afterwards.  
L>I must say I also really hated that job.  
W>I'm sorry, but there is a lot of things that doesn't make sense now.  
W>Let's start with the whirlpool at the lake. Did you cause it?  
L>It would be me yes, but I had a reason for it.  
L>I have been following people who were interested in Lunar, in order to see why.  
L>I thought this game was doomed from the start, but I was mistaken.  
L>Because of that I wanted to learn why people are enjoying this game so much.  
L>And so, when Wolf did his thing, I presented him with something he wanted.  
L>His reaction was very much as I predicted, he believed in it instantly.  
T>But we were there too right? Lunar showed that to us all.  
L>Yes it is true, you were there too, and that might be reason why he actually believed in anything.  
D>If we are at that point, I would like to discuss the screenshots.  
D>WRose and Titania each received a screenshot of the whirlpool.  
D>But they claim that when they screen captured it in the game they only got the lake.  
D>Do you have an explanation for that?  
L>Yes, naturally we used some coding to control the content that would be screenshotted.  
L>This included the "Ghost AI" content you are talking about.  
L>When you press the screenshot key in game, the primary function is blocked by our program.  
L>Instead we send you a printscreen from our servers, with our modifications of course.  
L>Even if you take a photo it doesn't work because when you use a monitor, the game blocks you from seeing "Ghost AIs".  
W>Wait... Wolf didn't say what device he was using either. I used a VR.  
T>I used a VR too Rosie, he must have used a VR as well right?  
L>That is correct, we can tell what device you use due to our client.  
L>Furthermore I’m not sure if Wolf mentioned that or not.  
L>If you take a photo of the VR screen you should be able to photograph the “ghost AI”  
L>Although, you would need a miniature camera inside your VR headset.  
L>I'm not sure if anyone on the internet tried that, but be my guest.  
D>I rather not, that sounds pointless.  
D>We still didn't get to you explaining anything.  
L>Okay so, about those screenshots that was mailed to you, it was of course me who did it.  
W>What? Is that the truth?  
T>Huh? You're not lying or something?  
L>It wasn't that hard to get your addresses, but moving on. I had a certain goal.  
L>At that point I couldn't fight against what Wolf said, about his visions and such.  
L>Thus to prove my point I sent you something that would further prove his lie.  
L>Doing so, his lie would have surfaced eventually, as he wasn't able to back up now.  
W>So you wanted to put him against the wall with things that was out of his control?  
W>Why would Wolf lie anyway?  
L>Ever since I noticed that he was I had no idea why would he lie.  
L>Maybe he didn’t have the courage to tell the truth to all of you?  
L>I assume he either knew the about the game’s code or was really lucky.  
D>That's interesting and all, but would Wolf really lie about something that complicated?  
D>You have his visions, his world view and how things connected.  
L>How about we start with this screenshot? Look exactly are his eyes looking at.  
L>You can see that they are slightly off the centre, and there is a reason behind that.  
L>You see, the VR headset is not the only thing you need to see "Ghost AIs".  
L>You also need a Synapse. I already said we can check them, so do you guys want to know?  
W>Well, I'm not sure if that changes anything but...  
T>Sure, go ahead. You probably are really enjoying this too.  
L>Wolf did not use Synapse, therefore all his visions in the game.  
L>As well as the outside of the game becomes lies. There is no doubt.  
D>Really... I mean you could be lying too, you know?  
L>Do I look like I’m lying? I know what devices you all used.  
L>I can send all the information to you guys if you want, how about it?  
W>Not interested. I still believe in Wolf.  
T>Yea... me too.  
L>Then how about I tell you that Ares was behind pushing people into the war?  
L>How about I told you that the blackout was our making?  
L>Albeit it was quite patched up, we used the big snake model for the boss.  
L>We had no time to actually make any animations except the idle one.  
L>Thus the boss did nothing, we had to summon mobs for the players to fight.  
D>But the monster appeared because of Wolf's plan, didn't it?  
L>Not exactly, we had something planned for the Net Neutrality because we knew it would affect us.  
L>Thus we created a starless sky, in case the game needed more memory during the fight.  
L>Funny story about the sky, someone commented that it was very fitting for the game.  
L>It symbolized that the dreams and hopes are not in the sky but on the Earth.  
W>So... are you going to say that I shouldn't believe in what Wolf's words?  
W>That all he ever said was lies? That there is no connection between this and the VR world?  
T>If I could say anything, they are deficiently connected.  
D>Right, maybe not in literal sense, but through the mind of the people.  
L>Are they really? I beg to differ, and that's according to what did happen in reality.  
L>For example, when you consider that you guys did defeat the giant dragon.  
L>How that affected the real world? Did it also destroy the problem in the real world?  
D>Thank goddess it did. We somehow managed to win the vote once again.  
L>But that's not the problem you see, fighting Net Neutrality is like fighting a Hydra.  
L>When you cut off one of the heads, another two grow from it.  
L>Only Hercules could defeat Hydra, normal people could not.  
L>To truly get rid of Net Neutrality you need an actual hero that is able to slay the beast once and for all.  
L>But heroes like that are only exist in stories. To make them reality we need to become heroes ourselves.  
L>That is what is lacking, that's why I don't believe there is actually a connection.  
L>That's why I said why I said during that time “You have to abandon this dangerous conviction.”  
L>”You have to improve and break away from the cycle, not in the shadow of a lie but in the light of truth”

===

D>So what are you trying to say is that...  
T>Despite what we believe about the connection between virtual and the real world...  
W>It is unwise to do so, it only leads to false and perilous thoughts?  
L>I do expect you to understand, that is why I called you here for.  
L>Ask yourselves, if the power of the word is real they can create existence yes?  
L>They can also encourage the youth to rise against oppression right?  
L>But until that actually happens I won’t believe in that power.  
L>Therefore I reject the idea of fiction having factual and positive influence for humans.  
L>It only fuels their dreams and desires, only drives them mad them like looking at the Moon.  
L>As for now you must wake up from this dream, and face reality.  
W>But dreams and hopes... without them life is not possible.  
L>You should chase after your dreams they say.  
L>You should think realistically about your future they say.  
L>But what they really mean is to connect the impossible with the possible.  
L>You should know well WRose, there is no way our generation is able to do something that ridiculous.  
L>That is why I advise all of you to stop now, or you will face only regrets.  
T>But there is no way knowing if you don't try!  
T>Even if you have to hit your head against the wall.  
T>Even if you have to literally go against the entire world.  
T>It is the effort that counts, the journey.  
T>That is what being a true hero is all about!  
L>But isn't that a little bit selfish? A hero that only desires for self accomplishment.  
L>A true hero is someone that doesn’t dive into the battle, but dives deeper in order to understand others.  
L>It takes great bravery to try to comprehend someone who is different than you.  
L>Doing so, the hero learns from the journey and improves upon himself as well.  
L>Thus, rather than trying hard for his own sake, isn't a Hero someone who understands their own limits?  
D>I do agree that in development, others are important.  
D>But what is more important is not to lose yourself within your doubts.  
D>For that you need role models or something in believe in.  
D>Heroes are needed, they are something that people use to connect with each other.  
D>Even if it’s just a fiction, it’s thanks to those experiences we can grow and improve upon ourselves.  
L>That's interesting, because I always thought exactly the opposite.  
L>Let’s take fiction and see how well it actually improved our generation.  
L>Naturally, throughout the history, in order to preserve the established well being.  
L>The newer generation is given an economical baton from the previous generation.  
L>However, what if the young people don’t accept it, what if they ran away from the responsibility?  
L>Is it a protest against the nature of things or perhaps a sign of their helplessness against the issue?  
D>I'm... not sure about that.  
D>A lot of people have negative thoughts about what is happening today.  
D>They are desensitized by the media but still...  
D>I want to believe that with our efforts we will be able to overcome our inability someday.  
L>If anything, you do agree that is better for our generation take control right?  
L>But if so, then we need somehow to convince them, to make them believe they can change.  
L>By that I mean everyone only complains about the country, politics and economies.  
L>To get past that we need to be united and stand together. We need to fight.  
D>Yes, that is what my friends also would say.  
L>But unfortunately, in the current narration, all we do is pray and wait.  
L>We naively wait for someone to appear, for a Hero to lead us to victory.  
D>Most of us at least...  
L>Thus, like a hero, I went deeper and asked you guys for help.  
L>I know if I would be able to convince you guys then...  
W>...  
L>I don't want a world where people, instead of fighting, they choose to escape into the worlds they created themselves.  
L>If words have the power to create existence, we have to use that power to make the youth stand for themselves.  
L>Even if words can't fix things, we can still try doing something. It's better than nothing.  
L>It's really a pity that in history, it's always the younger generation that had to fix everything that the older one broke.  
T>...  
L>There are the time we can't sit idly and delve into our fantasises and memories.  
L>We can't afford to be silent and to not speak loudly. We have say something is wrong.  
L>My goal here is to say that video games are just entertainment as long as you don't apply them to real life.  
L>Because Wolf became the main hero, because you guys were also a part of this as well.  
L>You have to prove me now, that you can to give up on your habits and face reality.  
D>...  
L>Why aren't you not responding? Is something wrong with the chat program?  
?>...  
L>Hello? This is Lunar.  
?>...

...

Only silence... the worst outcome I have feared... exactly as I wrote it.

...

The spiral stairs go deep down, each step sounds quieter than the previous one.  
When nothing is alit anymore, the silence births a begging to a world within a lie.  
It encompasses all, echoes within and prevents form the words to escape to the outside.

L>Hello? Earth? Do you read me? This is Lunar!

...

Wasting my effort I still try to contact them, I can't be defeated here.  
I might be not the hero of this story, but even for me there should be something I could...

...

But in the end, I'm like them; I'm holding their hands and dance around the fire place.  
I was born as a straw man and I will be forever just someone who is exploited like a [Feather]less doll.  
And when the fire will rise due the [Rain] I will be too burned, and nothing but [Ashes] will remain.


	12. Chapter 12

=== Chapter 12 „Hero”

Quite some time has passed after Wolf left the game and I too lost the will to play that game.  
Obviously if he didn’t quit I probably would be still playing Unwritten till today even,  
but now that I look back I think I made a good decision. Playing anymore would be just depression.

This is because when I met with Lunar from the chat I at least realised that I was I lacked.  
Some dreams might not be possible, but without dreams at all, the person loses themselves.  
That is why even if you end up disfiguring yourself, spoiling you surface, your core will remain.

[Could you tell me son what is the meaning this?]

I was in a situation that wasn’t very pleasant. My mother has discovered what I was doing online.  
All this happened because someone was trying to contact me in real life, ringing directly to my door.  
Of course I wasn’t able to answer because I was outside at the time, but that doesn’t matter now.

The person who wanted to meet me knew me as a girl, and so when she was talking with that person…  
Well she was at least interested in knowing what they were saying. They probably said everything that they knew about me,  
things that I would not want to share with others. However they might have not knew who I was in real life.

[This is a screenshot from an online game. I’m sure you noticed that.]

[I’m not talking about what’s on the screenshot, but rather how possibly it got here in the first place?  
Did you tell someone where you lived or something? You shouldn’t talk to strangers online you know?]

[If that’s all, then you shouldn’t have a problem if I have actual friends right?]

My mother was a little bit frustrated that I said those words, even though I was speaking the truth.  
Since I became a neet, I never talked with real friends, just some random people I met online.  
Finding someone that actually cared about me was a miracle for me. However, I don’t think my mother would understand.

[Well that’s all you are going to say? I thought you already know what I was getting to.  
How about you tell me about it? I won’t force you to say anything, it’s up to you.]

[Thanks mom, but I would rather say nothing at all if that is possible.]

[Fine, let me ask you. You played a female character right? Not only had that but a lot more, your friend told me.  
You used a voice changer or something to sound like female as well; you must have had due the way she spoke to me.  
She was really convinced that you were a girl. Thus I have to ask you, why did you pretend to be a girl online?]

I didn’t pretend, I was who I really was. I also never told everyone I was pretending anything.  
I don’t know why anyone would get that idea from inside of the game, but for my mother it was all different.  
I felt that in this situation I was unable to explain everything to my mother, so I remained silent.

[So you don’t know really? I don’t know what to do then. Perhaps you need to go to a psychiatrist after all.  
I mean you have been doing nothing but playing this game for a long time, even if we can get you a job.  
Is that how you want to spend the rest of your life? You need to think of your future, find a girlfriend or something.]

I had a boyfriend mom, but he no longer plays the game.

[Pretending to be a girl shows that you don’t really know what to do with yourself.  
I could imagine that a boy like you would rather be with a girl, not be a girl himself.  
I’m sorry, but if you don’t speak up I’m going to have to talk with your father about it too.]

[Right… I don’t think that matters.]

I was exhausted and tired from all those people telling me who I was and who I should be,  
that today I didn’t care what would happen to me. My mind was distanced from the body I hated.  
I couldn’t react because chemically my brain was telling to surrender; there is nothing worth fighting for.

[Look… I want to know only because I want to help you okay? I don’t want you to force to do anything,  
but not giving me an answer will only make it worse. In fact, I was thinking if I should not talk with your friend instead.  
You can invite her again right? I wouldn’t mind talking with her, since you don’t say anything. Are you okay with that?]

I’m not okay with that, I’m definitely against that. But at the same time, I don’t want them to know either.  
It’s not that I want to lie; it’s only that I want them to accept who I am. People like me have no choice but to be silent.  
That’s because if we speak up, our entire world will fall apart, we can’t afford for our relationships to be destroyed.

[Say… maybe you were just thinking by pretending to be a girl, you would get closer to a girl online?  
I can think of a lot of ideas, but if you don’t say anything I wouldn’t want to insinuate anything.]

It’s a pity that offline I’m the complete opposite of my persona online; that offline I have to wear a mask.

[If that is the case, maybe you could tell me about that person… about the person you dated online?]

Did she also tell my mom about that? I’m not sure what did the girl said to her, but the person I dated was…

[You mean Wolf? He no longer plays the game, I quit a while after.]

He was a good boy to me however… he gave me a role I wanted and was kind enough to help me every time.  
Without him I would have never met Pina and Hina, my first real female friends. Thank you friends,  
even if you wanted to give me courage to the end, and one of you visited my house, I think that…

[So you had a girlfriend right? That’s great! Was this the same girl that…]

[No mom… Wolf was a guy.]

To my mom’s surprise, I spoke up. If Hina did not visit my house, I would have lost all hope.  
But just thinking about her… and Wolf reignited my will to speak. I don’t care what happens anyway,  
so if anything, I don’t want to feel regrets from not doing anything. This was my resolution.

[Wait son… are you gay? That’s why you did pretend to be a girl?]

[I did not pretend to be a girl… I was just myself. To tell you the truth, you asked about something one time.  
Do you want to be born again, I didn’t answer that question because I was afraid what would you say.  
But now, I think I would be disappointing Hina if I did that, I would be disappointing Wolf too.  
The answer is “I would have rather be born again as a girl than to live like this”.]

And then my mother almost fainted. Some small talks continued after that, but she did not accept that I indentify myself as a girl.  
I also never planned to have her understand, I don’t know if I would be ever able to convince her at all.  
What she thinks however is not important for me, I rather be my own person than the son my mom thinks I am.

It is hard to explain others, how I want to wake up one day as a girl, but at the same time I know that won’t change anything.  
What I really want is to have one more chance at life, to be truly reborn as a girl. But that is completely impossible.  
However, there are still ways to cope with that problem, one being an online game, the other being a sex change operation.

Would I be able to brave it and have myself reborn? Would I be satisfied with that result at all?  
I’m not sure if that is the right way, but it’s better than not doing anything. Even if it’s not the perfect solution,  
it’s still a solution that is the best out of my options. I don’t know what the future holds, if my mother will accept me,  
if I would be able to accept myself, but if I don’t create a future for myself, no one else will.

===

I was tired, sitting in the desk in my classroom. I was waiting for a friend to come from her club activities.  
She was always really serious about them, but then again I was serious about my club as well.  
To say the truth, we couldn’t really compare in reality. She was on a completely different level than me.

I was really tired from all this effort put into running. I was a member of the track team in our school,  
although I was considered as a reverse member only. Other girls, despite not putting the same effort as I did,  
were better than me. That’s why I was always frustrated when I had to hear that their time improved, while mine didn’t.

I was also tired from the school work, which was just as mundane as it was pointless.  
Giving my average marks, I wasn’t going to be anyone special when I would graduate the school.  
Even teachers did not give me any motivation to improve my test scores; they said that the results were all up to me.

[Hey Tania, here are the results.]

Though my real name is Tatiana, but I told everyone to me to call me Tania, just like almost everyone online call me.  
My online name is similar too, it’s Titania. I thought that connecting the two worlds with the same name would help me get friends,  
but they didn’t want to hear about my character or the game. My nickname however stuck, but there is a different reason for that.

[Hey Machi, let’s take a look at them, shall me?]

My friend Machi, who was my only actual friend, was also a showing prodigy. She was the best in school,  
in grades at least. We were friends since ever, so that wasn’t strange for me, but strange for everyone else.  
People were jealous of me to having a friend who could help them with any academicals problems I guess.

[So it seems that most of people want to make a cafe after all. I wonder what do you think about it Tania?  
Perhaps I would be asking you too early, but if you were so kind to think about being a waitress there, I would be glad.]

As usual, she was very formal in her speech. But I also didn’t like this fake face at all.  
Even she was my friends; I think she only did that from pity. I had no real friends besides her.

[You really think I could do it? Well I always thought of myself to be build for running,  
but running from table to table is a new to me. I mean, I’m joking of course, but it’s going to be a normal cafe right?]

[That is not yet decided, but I’m sure you will be okay with anything right?]

You won’t let down the team right? She was probably thinking something like that.  
In that case I would not have any different choice but to accept whatever punishment I would receive.  
All this is because I born like this, with both left hands. No matter how fast I run I can’t escape this.

[So even a maid cafe is in the thinking right? I won’t wear anything that other girls won’t.]

[No no, we are not going to force you to wearing strange, no one will. I will be sure to stop the bullies so don’t worry.]

The bulling she mentioned came from the fact that my boobs are gigantic compared to the other girls.  
Maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit but the reason the nickname Tania, as in short for Titania, actually stuck was because of my tits.  
I don’t hate them, I actually like them, but due to that I always tripped when trying to run, people got used to calling me that.

That being said, I was basically labeled as a clumsily girl, that despite trying hard always falls on her boobs.  
I would have been really mad if I didn’t choose that nickname for myself, but now I was indifferent,   
all because of the friends who I played the game with, Wolf, WRose, Darku, and several others. 

They showed me that despite what others think, even if I can only guess what they think, I should still try.  
Without trying and giving up, that would be admitting to the image they placed onto me.  
I can’t lose, I have to brave though as the girl with big boobs that can’t do anything but run poorly.

[I’m not afraid of bullies, just that you probably need to order a special size for me too.  
I would be frank; I do expect them to bully me anyway, despite anything you do.]

[In that case, you want me to cancel the cafe? You know you have to participate somewhere,  
and this is not a sports festival. I’m sorry for you having to make a choice like this,  
but we all did agree on this, thus I think you should at least trust in me, okay?]

The more she talked the less I liked her face, and especially her uniform, which was a different colour due to her grades.  
In general I maybe not good with people because I’m straightforward, but I don’t think a lot, I rather act first.  
Thus if I wanted to escape this situation I would need to present her some other idea for the school festival.

[Let’s say we make another vote, but we add more categories. Wasn’t the only options cafe and the ghost room?  
Those are pretty basic things, no wonder that people didn’t think much about it, they simply didn’t care.]

[I can understand that logic. Most of the students were not interested to giving out their opinions.  
Say, we can’t put anything that is related to sports, but maybe you have an idea for our class Tania?] 

[Sure, let’s go with video games. I’m sure people are going to watch…]

[Video games… ahaha that’s funny! I mean I don’t know personally anyone who plays video games here but…  
I don’t think even the teachers would allow for something like that. You know how strict are the rules right?]

I already knew she would be laughing off the idea, but I was serious, I gave out a suggestion that I was good at.  
If there is anything I was ever good at, it would be video games. However, that skill doesn’t matter in this world,  
it is not easily monetized and quite hard to even justify as a talent. That’s what everyone has been telling me.

However, I have met people in the virtual world that said otherwise. Skill in video games is clearly something that not everyone can do.  
It is not any less different from a competitive point of view. Sure, even if video games became a sport at some point,  
the public opinion didn’t change. Even now I have trouble explaining that to Machi or my boyfriend.

[I knew you would probably say something like that, but I was rather serious, you know?  
Do you want to have fun at a school festival? Video games are fun so I think it fits.  
I also think we can make it more interesting if we have players try to beat a very hard game or arrange a tournament.]

[All of this is fine to do when you are with your boyfriend, but this is school, so I’m sorry.  
We have to play by the rules here, we can’t simply ignore them. I know you would rather…]

[This is school so we have to abide the rules? Are those rules good if they don’t encourage us to act on our own?  
How do we discover our talent if everyone is ordered to do the same? Even if you were good at something,  
if it’s not school related, you will be asked to drop it. That’s what their faces say Machi, drop running and drop dead.  
You are not build for it, you are just someone that fills up the slot. I just can’t believe that a school festival to host our talents would…]

I was overly furious there and couldn’t control temper. Not only Roberto can’t understand my effort,   
but also my classmates tell me to give up. You are probably more suited for a maid than for an athlete.  
We can’t do that because the school is gonna be mad. I’m hella mad right now, so buzz off.

In any case, I eventually calmed down and started crying. Perhaps I needed that every once in my life.  
I apologized to Machi and was forced into accepting her plan. As for the track club I did not give up yet.  
Perhaps one day people would recognize me as their teammate, not a girl who they keep as their eye candy.

As for everything else, I continued my normal life as the school’s busty girl, but I also had one more conviction.  
I have decided that I would become a pro gamer. Even if that’s a very dubious future, I believe that someday it will pay off.  
That belief comes from my heroes, friends I used to play a video game with. If not for them, I would have never believed in myself.

===

[This should be the restaurant.]

I was waiting outside of a restaurant for my ex to arrive. After I finally replied to her,  
she asked me to meet her here at a certain day. That day is day, although she is nowhere in sight.  
It’s a bit worrying, now that I think about it. I even came thirty minutes before and now I waited for like an hour.

Many things has happened before I made this decision however, many things I had to rethink.  
For example, I thought that running away from the past was the right choice, but I was wrong.  
Right now I’m facing the past once again, to finally come at peace with it. That is, if she even…

[Oh, it’s the telephone?]

I answered my phone; it was from my ex. Instantly picking it up, I was eagerly awaiting for her words.

[Hello Darku, do you still remember about our date today? I’m just checking honey.]

[Yes I’m at the restaurant, where are you? I can pick you up if you want.]

[That won’t be necessary, since I have to cancel today’s date. I’m really sorry.]

[Okay, no problem. Just tell me if you want to talk later.]

In fact, maybe that was for the better. I wasn’t sure I was ready to see her after all these years of VR.  
So many different memories in my head, I wasn’t sure what I would say to her really.  
I also never actually physically saw her. I wonder if my image of her would have been correct or…

[That is not necessary. I won’t need to talk with you anymore.]

[What’s that pumpkin?]

I asked for a confirmation.

[This means that I only wanted to say that it’s over with us. You know, ever if did spend all this time,  
we never formally broke up. How does it feel Darku? To be neglected this much? Are you sad or happy?  
Perhaps both? I feel great myself, knowing that after all this years you would still be the same old stubborn man.]

[Wait, stubborn? I don’t really get what you are trying to say here. I had no agenda doing this, I only did what you asked.]

[Okay, whatever you say pumpkin. Did you also do whatever I said all those years? Was that fun for you?  
When I said things like”let’s meet in rl” you were like okay sure, but then nothing happened. I don’t blame you,  
I can only blame the past you. Now that I have learned that I knew I can have a better man that you.]

That is quite a turmoil I got into. Surely it wasn’t just me that said “Let’s meet in rl”. Unfortunately,   
I can’t just tell her that now; she would just get more furious. What I can do however is to talk to her about something else.

[I agree, my past was dubious and even I don’t think I did all the things right. But that’s not important now.  
You said in your letter that you really did miss me, that you really changed and you want to meet me again.  
Thus I am, not in the flesh, but other than that, you can talk to me. You wanted to, right honey?]

[Tsk… I don’t like this attitude of yours pumpkin. There might be something you don’t understand here,  
my intentions. I only wanted to lure you, to make you believe that I actually wanted you back.  
But in reality, I only wanted to be even, I have no desire of returning or remembering you.]

[However honey, I think you do. You are still between accepting and throwing your past away.]

I said with conviction. I have been through this already, but clearly she didn’t.   
If I have learned anything from the days I played Unwritten it was that friends are something important.  
You just don’t throw them away if you get bored with them. We both made that mistake, but I can help her understand that.

[Listen, even if those would be the last words you will be willing to accept from me, then so be it.  
You are a very direct and uncompromising person, but even you can change, because I knew you well,   
and because I have changed. What you need to do is to accept who you were by looking at your past.  
This means improving from understanding your mistakes. Even if it would be painful, I will always believe in you.]

[Right… let me think.]

There was a long pause after she said those words. Her voice was concerned, so I guess she was rethinking things.

[Okay, pumpkin, I won’t ask you for anything more now. You clearly know me better, therefore I will consider this.]

She said with a sarcastically, as if she wanted completely ignore what I just said.

[But if what you say is true, then you are wrong, I don’t deserve a better man. I’m just a horrible person.]

[No that’s!]

And she ended the call right there. I can only ponder what she was thinking at that point of time.  
I’m sure that I have done everything I could and I don’t feel terrible because of it, though I do feel sorry for her.

Not everyone is going to have friends who care for them, not everyone will know what flaws they have.  
But even if you don’t, you should listen, even to strangers. Maybe they won’t say things that are always important,  
but at least by listening to them you will know where you are standing. Having a ground really helps.

Obviously by ground I also mean the past. The gravity that pulls you back might be something scary,  
but you can also use it to pull your forward. It’s a wonderful thing I learned thanks for my friends.  
I hope that one day we will meet again, Gee, Xyl, Wolf, and others… without them there is no reason for me to play.

===

[Hi, I’m not going to preach you about anything, so let’s just talk like normal okay son?]

The son of the legendary developer known by the name Ryszard G. that person was no other than me.  
I was sitting on my usual chair at work when my dad suddenly wanted to talk about something important.  
It was the case from a few days ago. Somehow he learned that I contacted three people related to Wolf.

[You are going to preach me in the end. If you know what I did I’m going to listen and that’s all.]

[You are making this hard again on yourself.]

[No I’m making it easy for you.]

This conversation had no point, but somehow my dad wanted it. I hated my dad the most, he was the worst.  
Not only he had everything anyone would have ever wanted, but he was also my dad. Being the son of a legendary developer,  
I had a lineage to live up to, thus my life was only resolving around him but not me.

For example, when I wanted to talk someone at school, people started asking me questions about my dad.  
When I wanted to find work after university, everyone said that my name was vaguely familiar.  
On top of that, because I couldn’t find a job by myself, my father insisted me to join his new project.

As much as I wanted to sabotage it, I was unsuccessful. Despite my predictions, the game’s popularity rose.  
Even if I forced in that stupid monthly model that had no purpose, they still would be willing to pay that fee.  
All in all, I think this is my punishment for being born in this world. All I ever want is to take my revenge.

[So, let’s make this quick then, you used your privilege as the GM of Lunar and talked with a few players.  
That’s fine but you also leaked that information which is not okay. I do believe they would have find it eventually,  
but that does discredit the vision we agreed upon. You know we monitor what players do very closely, that’s why…]

[You needed me to look out for them? I’m sorry; I’m just an economist, not a Moon goddess.  
Speaking about the Moon, when is your trip? Are you taking the whole family as well?]

Apart from being a developer, my father also had a lot of money, enough to fly himself to the orbit.  
Our family had history in NASA, but he was a commercial client and paid out his own pocket.  
It really frustrates me that something as economically impossible for young people nowadays,  
was possible for someone who started programming video games on a teletype terminal.

[I’m fine with Earth for now, but let’s get back to the ground. If anything will be leaked,  
I will have to do something, and the only evidence is on you. I pray that will not happen,  
but I also want you to know that. You understand that right? I might help you find another job.]

[I rather decline that offer, you can’t really do that for me all the time can you?]

I said with a doubt in my eyes. I really didn’t know the extent of this guy’s abilities. 

[I can’t, but I can offer you an advice. It’s what I have been doing all the time but I didn’t really reach you did I?]

That is correct, you can keep trying and see if anything changes, but I doubt that anything will.

[I’m happy with what I can do without you, thus there is no logical reason to continue this.]

[Let me say this, if there was a mathematical way to reach happiness, any and every equation should be able to reach that point.]

[Yea but then again… maybe we are lacking in VR? People are really happy being outside this world,  
but what remains is actually transferring their consciousness one way to the VR world.]

[Luckily, humans haven't reached that point of advancement, despite all this ever advancing new technology.]

This kind of conversations we had from time to time. Today my father was fired up it seems.

[Are you going to deliver us that dream too, legendary developer father?]

[Incorrect, I have a clear reason to why I create video games in the past, which the same reason even today.   
I always want to create something memorable, at least for myself if not for others. I knew the limitations,  
and worked with them. That’s what I don’t want to focus on the technology, but what people do with technology.]

Which is create their own worlds and escape to them? If that is fine with you, then be it so.  
You are not only the worst kind of a dad, but also my worst nemesis. It was you who made everyone dance in the circle,  
it was you who created their narrative to give them false hope. Dreams, fiction and lies, it is because you I grew to hate them.

[But that’s my self-limitation. I don’t want to tell people what to believe or not, I want to teach them.  
I know you are like that too, I have read your messages as Lunar. I do support that idea; I want to believe in you,  
but at the same time, it has to be something that you do without me. Just like you say, I can’t do everything for you.]

As mad as I was, I had to accept father’s words. He was right, if anyone had to do something it was me.

===

I was searching for a lost lamb, the player Wolf, and his whereabouts. I had the address and everything but…

[Can you tell me how did he look?]

When I arrived at the location the owner of the apartment asked me that question.  
We could only pinpoint Wolf’s location to a building, after that it was foot work for me.  
Unfortunately, we didn’t get any more details so I had to improvise about his appearance.

[He was male, probably in his twenties, and probably had dark hair and a small beard.  
I can also tell when he was logged in, what equipment he used and I have his voice here.]

After I showed the older man a few gizmos he asked me further.

[So are you sure he lived alone? I have a book of all the tenants, but I can’t be sure if he wasn’t living with someone.]

[That wouldn’t be the case. Naturally I can tell how much energy he would have used if he played for this long.  
Subtract that from the total and we should be getting something. You have the electricity bills too right?]

[That would be a bother, but they are somewhere.]

Right, I could only connect things I knew about Wolf from the way his character looked and acted.  
For example I went to nearby convenience store and asked if they had a client who would buy cigarettes.

[We had a lot of clients, yes, but no one wearing black clothes, at least not someone who would visit often.]

I also checked for his motorbike, but the old owner said.

[If there was someone who used a bike lived here, it was probably a very quiet one, I didn’t hear anything.]

We went through everyone living here and asked questions, but I learned nothing.  
And so, without any other clues I was before the only door we haven’t checked yet.

[Normally this apartment would have been taken, but I didn’t have a client in years now.  
This is only one that would be free during the time you specified. Shall we go in?]

During our elimination process, we came finally narrowed it down to one.   
Every other apartment had either tenants that confirmed to not be playing the game,   
or people who were too old to be Wolf. This might be my last chance.

[Okay, let’s go it.]

The room was empty, just as I predicted. If Wolf was here, he would leave some clues, I thought.

[Excuse me; I don’t clean here so it might be dusty.]

[I don’t mind, I’m going just going to search for clues now so please don’t enter until I’m done.]

[Very well, just lock the place when you’re done. I will be waiting downstairs.]

And so, I took out my little detective’s kit that I bought from not a very professional shop.  
My targets were the power sockets, the handles and the toilet. If I read this manual right,  
I should be able to tell if the prints are the same age as the rest. The process took some time but in the end…

I was really confused to what I found. Naturally, we knew that someone logged in from this certain room,   
all the other apartments have been denied due the process of elimination. Additionally,   
because the power consumption for this certain room was zero, as the old man managed to decipher, that meant…

[He must have used an external source of power. But do to that he would have carried the device here,  
place it, and leave it running. However, all this dust tells me that not a single piece of furniture was moved into here.  
Furthermore, that only man said he didn’t clean here so we can assume that this place wasn’t cleaned by Wolf either.]

From my calculations, Wolf last logged here seven days ago, there was no way this much dust would gather in such a short time.  
Additionally, I checked the sockets for fingerprints, and there was none. He needed at least to plug in something,  
the VR device and a computer. This was all too strange for me, I couldn’t find anything that made sense.  
I tried to also find anything other usual, but again no finger prints or any indication that someone was here.

[Hey, I have a question.]

My decision was to clarify if the man did not dust that room in the last seven days, and his answer was…

[No, I said that I didn’t clean there for ages.]

In this case I started to question him again about people who visited the tenants during Wolf’s period of playing.

[You probably remember what they said right? They know as much as I.]

With that being said, maybe we were being mistaken; maybe we did get the wrong address.  
Our program only tells the IP, which can be changed or even proxied. However that’s also unlikely.  
To play this gave you need a good internet connection; you would have problems with lag if you used WiFI or Proxy.

[Well then, thank you for your help old man. I think we will try again to see if we can confirm that we made no mistakes.]

[Sure thing buddy, visit anytime. It always makes me happy that youth is so passionate about their jobs.]

But this is not my job old man… anyway on my way out…

[This is… when did this tree appeared?]

[Someone left it here a week or two ago so I didn’t touch it. I checked online, it is a Paulownia.]

A potted tree like that does seem a little out of place, but that also reminds me of something.  
During the blackout, Wolf had a plan to plant trees, both in the game and in the real world.  
Knowing so, I wonder if this could be a clue to whenever Wolf was actually here or not.

[Okay thank you, I got what I needed.]

[See you later!]

The old man waved as I was already outside the gate. Whenever I would meet Wolf again was not important.  
I just wanted to know if he actually existed. Following his logic, it would be possible to say he was a “Ghost” himself.  
But that would be going too far; I couldn’t just assume something as wild as that. But in any case, Wolf was now gone.

After my investigation, I was asked to give up on the search by my father. Additionally, there were no more clues to follow,  
so I had no other choice but to stop by my own violation as well. He also told that I should not purist Wolf further.  
The reason for that was that Wolf was somewhat of a legend of Unwritten, a Hero who saved the world and vanished.

Wolf’s real nature will always be a mystery. Was he a real person? Perhaps he was a “Ghost AI” just like me?  
Was he really a Hero that people needed, despite not doing what a Hero supposed to, which is slaying the Dragon completely?  
Whoever he was, today’s youth doesn’t need heroes like him, they need to become like the heroes themselves.  
I also believe that after all my work I was not the villain of his story. The true villain was the silence that was left behind.

=== The end.


End file.
